


Mistakes of the Past

by raug_moss



Series: Cat & Kara: The New Adventures of Supergirl [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Mind Control, Romance, multi-part series, supercat, warning for mind control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 01:08:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7869517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raug_moss/pseuds/raug_moss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cat does not care for Maxwell Lord, or his gifts, so she doesn’t think much of the little statue in her office. At least not until Kara begins to act strangely. But how could she have possibly anticipated that Lord would have the audacity to plant modified Red Kryptonite right under her nose?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Double-cross for a symbol

**Author's Note:**

> here is the sequel, finally, it took me a while to get my thoughts together but somehow I did. this picks up right where "Footsteps in Snow" left off, so you might want to read that one first if you haven't already. this installment will be similar in length to the previous one and I've got the majority of it planned out. also, I've been reading a lot of GeneralDanvers fic and just couldn't resist sneaking them into this story as well. the main pairing is still SuperCat though.
> 
> as always, reviews are welcomed. enjoy.

_\- Previously on Footsteps in Snow -_

Cat flipped through yet another woefully inadequate rendition of Lord Technology’s new toy that had been introduced the day before. The article in front of her had red marks on every page and Cat was tempted to write the damn thing herself, if only she could focus long enough for something like that.

Instead she was forced to leave it to her overpaid employees to use words they obviously didn’t understand.

She leaned back in her expensive office chair and twisted around so that she was facing the wall of televisions, her eyes skipping over several news reports without much interest. The city had been surprisingly quiet, almost as if accommodating Supergirl’s absence. Not that anyone knew their resident superhero was currently unavailable. Cat was doing her best using old footage to make it appear as if nothing was amiss. That’s why they kept some of Olsen’s award-worthy photos on retainer after all.

A glance at her phone told her that it was almost time to call it a day and head home so she could have dinner with Carter. She was looking forward to being around him all weekend, it would take her mind off of more distressing matters. Carter deserved her undivided attention, and not even wayward assistant roaming through her past would change that.

Most of her employees had already left so it was blissfully quiet in her office as she got to her feet and began collecting her things.

She looked up sharply when there was a noise at the other end of the room. Maxwell Lord’s knuckles connected with the glass of her open office door as he sauntered toward her, a small smile on his lips.

Cat had never liked the way he smiled. It was always controlled, calculated as if he understood the need for this particular facial expression but couldn’t possibly fathom what emotions it was supposed to convey.

Her shoulders immediately tensed and she stepped around her desk to meet Lord in the middle of the office between her couches.

“I don’t think I saw your name on my appointment list this morning Maxwell.”

“Cat,” Lord drawled, “always a pleasure.”

“I’m sure it is, but I doubt you’re here to enjoy my riveting company. Or have you become so bored with your little toys that you have to seek me out in my office after hours?”

Lord didn’t even react outwardly to Cat’s obvious snark. Instead he simply tilted his head as if studying a science experiment. “Can’t I just visit an old friend I haven’t seen for a while?”

Cat sighed and placed her hands on her hips. “I’ve asked you politely, now I’m asking bluntly, what do you want Max?”

“You have interesting definition of polite,” Lord replied and moved his hand that he had been keeping at his side and slightly behind his body for the entire conversation. Cat now noticed that he was actually holding something wrapped up in expensive-looking paper with swirling designs.

 “Right to the point then. I just thought I’d stop by and see how your pet superhero is doing, you know, since we haven’t heard from the city’s favorite girl in blue and red for a few days. I hope everything’s alright.”

Cat pursed her lips thoughtfully. It was always a game with Maxwell Lord – keep your cards close to your chest and never let your opponent see that you’re about to fold.

“Your concern is heartwarming, but completely unwarranted. I would be the first to know about any problems, and I would certainly be reporting on them.”

“Of course,” Lord replied with a quiet laugh.

He finally extended his arm to hold the object in his hand between them. “I suppose I shouldn’t have bothered you, I know you’re a busy woman, but I do have something for you, a gift of sorts, so that we might have more enlightening conversations in the future.”

Cat inhaled a quiet breath through her nose and stepped toward Lord to accept the small object from his palm. It was heavier than its size would suggest and she looked at Lord through her lashes.

“One might think you were trying to bribe me.”

“Everyone knows that Cat Grant cannot be bought,” Lord replied, “please just take it as a token of my affection.”

Cat barely suppressed the snort that wanted to make it out of the back of her throat. “Well, thank you Max, that is lovely of you.”

She raised the object in her hand for emphasis and Lord nodded with his hands folded behind his back. “Goodnight Cat.”

He turned on his heel and Cat watched him leave her office, strolling leisurely toward the elevators on the left. She narrowed her eyes and waited until she could hear the doors of the elevator open and close.

She would have to speak with security, this was completely unacceptable.

Her eyes fell on the wrapped object she was still holding. She gingerly began peeling back the corners of the paper until she revealed a small statue that seemed to be made of some kind of crystal.

Upon further inspection the statue depicted Supergirl in her iconic position, one arm stretched in front of her while her cape billowed behind her in an invisible breeze. It was rather beautifully crafted and Cat stared at the almost translucent crystal with its swirling green, red and orange colors. She’d never seen anything quite like it.

She shook her head with a sigh and placed the statue onto the small coffee table in the middle of her office. On Monday she would have someone take it to a lab to test it for radiation or something equally harmful. She didn’t trust Maxwell Lord any further than she could throw him, which meant, well, not at all.

Right now Cat simply wanted to go home to her family, take a nice hot bath and settle with Carter to watch a movie together and eat ice cream.

She grabbed her purse and jacket and strode out of her office, her eyes only briefly lingering on the empty desk that stood right outside.

S-S-S

_\- Present -_

Kara took a deep breath and concentrated on the feeling of air filling her lungs, expanding her chest. She held it for a few heartbeats and slowly exhaled again. Her fingers felt slightly numb and an uncomfortable sensation settled between her shoulder blades.

It was almost as if her body was refusing to do what she commanded. The red and blue outfit, which usually instilled her with a sense of confidence, suddenly felt heavy and restricting. The cape flapped around her legs in the breeze and she curled her cold fingertips into the fabric to keep it still.

A miniscule movement of her muscles brought her closer to the balcony and she landed without a sound. The lights in the office were still on, so Kara could clearly see Cat sitting at her desk, glasses perched on her nose, while she read through something on her tablet. A glass of amber liquid was resting beside her hand and judging by the heavy scent of alcohol hanging in the air it wasn’t her first one.

Kara slowly stepped closer until the light barely illuminated her face. It was enough to draw Cat’s attention toward the balcony and Cat froze for several seconds before she slowly reached up and removed her glasses.

It was one of Cat’s defense mechanisms, Kara had learned. Those precise movements, the way she controlled her body, kept her spine rigid, was something Cat only did when she felt threatened.

Kara took several steps back as Cat approached the doors and opened them to join her on the balcony. They gazed at each other silently for a few moments before Cat exhaled a quiet sigh.

“So they brought you back.”

“They did.”

Cat wrapped her arms around her stomach and walked past Kara until she could lean against the railing, her eyes fixed on the lights of the city below them.

“Miss Grant… I –“

Kara was cut off by Cat’s raised palm. “Not tonight. It’s been a very long day, and I don’t think I can deal with…whatever it is you were about to say. We both know you tend to talk too much when you’re nervous, so let’s just ignore it until tomorrow. I need a bit more… time.”

Kara felt her heart stutter in her chest and her stomach drop at Cat’s resigned tone. Truth was, she didn’t even know herself what had been about to come out of her mouth. Apologies, surely, perhaps a few explanations, and more excuses.

“Okay,” Kara replied quietly.

She turned away, closing her eyes tightly. She didn’t have any right to feel rejected, not after what had happened, and yet she was crushed by Cat’s dismissal.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Cat whispered so quietly Kara wouldn’t have heard if it weren’t for her super hearing.

Maybe all wasn’t lost yet.

The air moved around her as she pushed her body toward the sky, away from the balcony and away from Cat. It was going to be a very long night, and an even longer day at CatCo tomorrow. If she still had a job to go back to.

A small noise from her headset made her stop somewhere above the National City Bank building and she hovered in the air as she pushed the little button on her earpiece. “Yes?”

“Kara, hey, it’s me, Clark.”

“Clark,” Kara breathed, glad to hear a familiar voice. She’d meant to call him sooner, but it had taken her longer than she’d thought to work up the courage to land on Cat’s balcony.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. It wasn’t exactly pleasant to be sucked through time, but I’m okay now.”

“I can only imagine. Listen, I just wanted to let you know that I’m here, if you need someone to talk to.”

“Thank you Clark, I appreciate it but I don’t think I’m in the mood to talk,” Kara answered.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Kara smiled and shook her head, knowing that Clark couldn’t see her. “It’s nothing, really, I just had to speak with Miss Grant about a few things that happened… back then.”

Clark made a small noise before he became silent for a few moments.

“I saw you, you know, with Cat,” he said quietly.

Kara gasped quietly and floated a little higher, away from the noises of the city down below. “W-what do you mean?”

“In the past, I mean my past, when you were there. I know you thought I didn’t notice, but I saw you and Cat walking together after work, so I followed you, to her apartment.”

“What… why?”

“Because I didn’t know what to think, I had just met you, and you told me you are my cousin. I wanted to… keep an eye on you, just in case.”

Kara shook her head slowly, gazing up at the stars that seemed so much closer now, so much brighter.

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad Kara. All I’m saying is that I saw Cat too, and after you were gone, she never… seemed as happy. Not even after she left for National City.”

“You make it sound like you’re having weekly chats with her on the phone,” Kara answered, trying to distract from the heaviness of Clark’s statement.

Clark laughed quietly. “Lois and Cat might make it seem like they are mortal enemies, but they have history and while they are not exactly friends, they do keep tabs on each other.”

Kara sighed and coiled her body, building momentum in the air as she began flying back toward the skyscrapers of National City. “It doesn’t matter now. I made a mistake and I don’t think Cat will forgive me for it.”

“We all make mistakes Kara. I wouldn’t underestimate Cat Grant if I were you.”

“I don’t,” Kara answered, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

“I want to you to be happy.”

“Thank you, Clark.”

“Call me anytime, and I can be there in less than minutes if you ever need a shoulder, or an ear, or arms.”

Kara smiled and inhaled quietly. “I will. Talk to you soon.”

The line went dead and Kara pressed her lips into a tight line, focusing on the air whirling around her rather than the constricting feeling in her chest. She didn’t know what to make of Clark’s attempt to cheer her up, but if she was sure of one thing, it was that earning Cat Grant’s forgiveness would be a near impossible task.

She had seen people get fired for less. Cat was not an easy woman to please, but Kara took pride in her ability to do her job, in being an essential part of Cat’s life. Now all of that seemed on the line, simply because she didn’t stay away from Cat while travelling to the past. A small part of her wished that she could go back again, to fix the mess she had created, but another part was unwilling to let go of the memories she now held dear.

Kara speedily approached the window of her apartment, _her apartment_ , and landed gracefully on the ground. She had practiced this often enough to know that she had to slow down significantly before her feet hit something solid, otherwise the momentum would take her headfirst into the wall. She could still see Alex's grin the day they had patched and plastered the hole her face had left.

S-S-S

_\- 24 Hours Earlier -_

Alex tapped the tips of her fingers against her forearm. It was hard to stay still in situations like these. She had no idea how Hank remained completely motionless, hands behind his back, no outward sign that he was even remotely nervous.

Her eyes flickered back to the screen.

“Ten seconds,” Vasquez announced and Alex’s fingertips resumed their tapping at an increased pace.

The countdown began and Alex couldn’t keep still any longer so she began pacing, two seconds for each step until there was a loud _pop_ and suddenly Kara was just there, dressed in her Supergirl outfit. A little anticlimactic to be honest, but Alex would take it.

Kara seemed a little disoriented as she stood in the middle of the DEO main area but Alex had already crossed the distance between them and pulled Kara into a hug. Just to make sure she was really there, solid and warm, just as Alex remembered. Kara immediately returned the embrace, strong arms wrapping around her shoulders.

“Are you okay?” Alex whispered, her breath making long blonde strands of hair flutter. She felt Kara nod against her shoulder.

“I’m fine.”

Alex squeezed her one more time before stepping back and resting her hands on Kara’s upper arms, taking the time to look her up and down for any injuries. Aside from the tired look on her sister’s face, Kara really did look fine.

“Come on, let’s get you checked out and then I’ll take you home.”

Kara nodded slowly and followed Alex without a word.

Hank joined them shortly after in the lab and he looked just as relieved as Alex felt to have Kara back safe and sound. There would be questions later, a thorough report needed to be written, but for now all Kara seemed to need was some rest. She looked exhausted. Alex couldn’t imagine what it was like to be tossed into the past, trying to find a way back without any of the backup they usually had.

She was glad Kara had sought out Clark and so far no problems with the timeline had occurred. She also couldn’t fault her sister for contacting Cat Grant despite the fact that she was anything but pleased that the woman now knew about Kara’s not-so-secret identity. Then again, there hadn’t been any articles plastered across the front page boasting that Cat Grant was quite literally Supergirl’s boss.

Alex took Kara to the medical wing and watched over the examinations with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Kara took it all in stride, long since used to the procedures, but she seemed uncharacteristically quiet. Alex decided that she would give Kara space for now and allow her to come to terms with her journey into the past before she tried to talk to Kara about it.

They left the DEO base together and Alex grabbed Kara’s hand, squeezing tightly as they sped down the darkened desert road in her black SUV.

“You don’t have to come over –“ Kara began but Alex shook her head.

“I’m going to stay the night, just to make sure you’re really okay, so please don’t tell me I don’t have to because I probably have other things to do. Which you should know I don’t, you’re my priority right now, okay?”

That brought a small smile to Kara’s lips and she nodded. She slumped over in her seat and rested her head on Alex’ shoulder.

Alex inhaled a deep breath through her nose and reached up to brush her fingertips through Kara’s hair.

Something must’ve happened in the past to have shaken Kara like this and Alex would find out what it was eventually. She always did.

S-S-S

After Alex had made sure that Kara was settled in bed with a glass of water on her bedside table, a remnant of them growing up together, she wandered back into the living room and dropped onto the couch, a small groan escaping her throat. She hadn’t gotten much sleep since Kara had simply disappeared a few days ago and the majority of her time had been spent pouring over data or trying to get information out of the Fort Rozz prisoners.

She reached up and dragged both hands through her hair, tugging at the strands in the process. There was no worse feeling than not knowing where Kara was or what had happened to her. The uncertainty was something Alex didn’t want to feel again anytime soon. If she had any say in it she would tie an invisible cord to her own and Kara’s wrist, just to make sure. But that would be silly, and impossible, and decidedly over-protective. But she knew that one of the aliens they had in custody could produce a spider web that was a hundred times stronger than… no. She would not go down that road.

She had other things to worry about. Like how she was going to explain the fact that she had acquired knowledge about the alien technology Non had used to send Kara back in time in the first place. After the Clark of the past had established a connection to them, they had worked feverishly on figuring out how to bring Kara back.

And, well, they had and that was really all that counted.

Alex settled back against the cushions of the couch and toed off her boots. She left her cell phone on the small coffee table and folded one arm behind her head, staring at the ceiling with narrowed eyes.

Kara was back and that was all that mattered for now.

She closed her eyes with a sigh and found herself drifting off eventually, only to be awakened by a small sound coming from Kara’s bedroom. She didn’t have super hearing, but her senses were honed enough that she could pick up on even the quietest noises. Alex immediately got to her feet and her eyes flickered over to the cupboard by the front door where her gun was nestled into the top drawer.

She shook her head slightly and tiptoed down the hallway and into Kara’s room. The sight before her was sadly not an unfamiliar one. Kara’s legs were tangled in her blanket and she was moving around on the bed, her arms flailing around while she murmured things with her eyes tightly closed.

Alex immediately crossed the distance to the bed and sat down at the edge, slowly reaching out to rest her hands against Kara’s shoulder.

“Hey,” she whispered.

At first there was no immediate response but after squeezing Kara’s shoulder and quietly calling her name, Kara’s eyes flew open and she sat up, looking around for several seconds with a bewildered look on her face.

Alex immediately scooted closer and opened her arms. “It’s okay,” she murmured and Kara dropped into the embrace, burying her face against Alex’s neck.

She rubbed her hands up and down Kara’s back and held on tightly as she settled back against the bed. “I’ve got you, it will be fine, I promise, you’re okay.”

Kara breathed heavily and her voice sounded scratchy. “I think I messed up Alex.”

Alex pressed a quick kiss into Kara’s hair and rested her cheek at the crown of her head. “I’m sure it can be fixed. You know nothing changed, right? You did great.”

“No that’s not… it’s not about the timeline, I just…,” Kara trailed off and sniffled quietly.

“You know you can talk to Clark about it, I’m sure he will tell you the same thing. If you want, you can even speak to Cat.”

Kara suddenly stiffened in her arms and she moved away from Alex’s arms to look at her. Alex wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen this particular brand of horror on Kara’s face.

“What?”

“What?” Alex echoed.

“Why did you… why would I talk to Miss Grant?” Kara’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Well, I mean she was there, in the past, and she was the one who alerted us to where you were,” Alex waved her hand, “I was waiting for the right moment to tell you that she now knows you are Supergirl, but she has been cleared and is keeping your secret. Not that I’m happy about it but it’s as good as it’s going to get.”

Alex sighed. “This whole time travel thing is a bit confusing, but I’m sure she’d be willing to assure you that you did absolutely nothing wrong. Hey, are you okay?”

Kara was as white as a sheet.

“You… you’re telling me Miss Grant knows I was in the past, her past, she _remembers_?”

Alex nodded slowly. “Kara, I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Oh my god,” Kara breathed and flopped back onto the bed, face buried in her pillow.

S-S-S

“Kara, you have to get out of bed eventually,” Alex called, balancing the take out boxes and dropping them onto the kitchen counter.

As expected there was no response from the bedroom.

Alex wasn’t exactly sure what had happened last night. After she’d told Kara that Cat Grant knew she was Supergirl, Kara had completely shut down, only lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.

While it wasn’t an ideal development, the situation could’ve been much worse. Even Hank had grudgingly admitted that Cat was no threat to Kara’s secret or to the DEO, at least for the time being. And even though Alex knew Cat had threatened to fire Kara before, she was fairly certain that they could negotiate some kind of deal.

She knew Kara needed and wanted that job for some reason and even Cat Grant would eventually have to crack under the pressure of a combination of puppy dog eyes and threatening older sister.

So really, there was no reason for Kara to wallow in bed. Once she gathered herself a bit they could arrange a conversation with Cat and have it all figured out in no time.

Alex grabbed a few plates from the cupboard and began loading food onto them, distractedly picking at some sesame chicken pieces.

As if on cue she heard quiet noises coming from the hallway before Kara shuffled into the kitchen, blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders and hair a complete mess. The last time she’d seen her sister in this state was when they’d canceled her favorite television show and her favorite Chinese restaurant had closed, on the same day.

“There you are. I almost thought your alien cells had fused with the bed and we would have to get the DEO to pry you apart.”

Kara shot her a look but nonetheless grabbed a plate and wobbled over to the couch in the living room, holding the blanket closed in front of her with one hand.

Alex followed with her own food and plopped down next to Kara, lightly bumping their shoulders. “It will be alright,” she assured and received a small smile in return.

They turned on the television after that and ate in companionable silence before Alex deposited the dishes in the sink and returned to the couch, wrapping both arms around Kara and her blanket.

They pretty much stayed like that all afternoon, Alex had taken the day off to spend with Kara, until a small sigh escaped from the mountain of blankets that had become her sister.

“I’m going to have to talk to Miss Grant.”

“Yep.”

“Alex… I think I have to tell you something.”

Alex raised her eyebrows and sat back so that Kara could turn to her and they were face to face. She grabbed Kara’s hands and rested them between their bodies with a squeeze.

“Okay, I’m listening.”

S-S-S

The key slid into the lock effortlessly and Alex kicked at her front door to push it open. She had two remaining take out boxes still in her hands, another testament to the fact that Kara wasn’t back to her usual self just yet.

Alex sighed and pushed the door closed with the heel of her boot. She still couldn’t quite believe what Kara had told her. She didn’t have a problem with Kara liking women, not at all, that would be highly hypocritical of her, but… _Cat Grant_?

Maybe she should’ve seen it coming. Kara clung to that job with a desperation that a simple assistant position shouldn’t warrant, despite the way Cat treated her day in and day out. Admittedly, the woman had been giving Kara some important advice over the years, and she was protecting Supergirl in her own shrewd way, but Alex simply didn’t see the appeal. Or at least she couldn’t see beyond the physical appearance.

Nonetheless, she would have to get over her confusion and reluctance, simply because Kara needed her support. She would not, however, become Cat Grant’s number one fan.

Alex deposited the boxes into her fridge, still so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the open window at the other side of her apartment. Only when a cool breeze brushed across her skin did she turn around, her muscles tensing. Her fingers inched closer to the gun at her hip but a clear familiar voice made her freeze.

“You won’t be needing that.”

Alex slowly turned toward the living room and walked over to glance around the corner. Sure enough, Astra was standing in her apartment, arms crossed in front of her chest, staring out at the evening sky. Her dark military-inspired uniform made her appear sleek and deadly in the dim lighting of her living room. Astra looked exactly like the last time Alex had spoken with her, but there was tenseness to the way she held herself, shoulders absolutely straight, that hadn’t been there before. Or maybe Alex just hadn’t noticed the first time, too shocked to be having a conversation with the enemy.

“What do you want?” Alex asked, hand still clutching at her gun but not removing it from its holster. She didn’t have any Kryptonite bullets on her but she felt better knowing that she could at least try to fight if it came down to it.

“I am not here to harm you, Agent Danvers, you should know that by now.”

Alex sighed and slowly approached Astra. Surely, if the alien general wanted her dead she would be on the living room floor with her neck snapped, but that didn’t mean she was going to lounge around and eat ice cream while talking to Astra.

“I simply wanted to make sure… that our plan succeeded.”

Alex’s brow furrowed at the way Astra’s voice softened. “It did. We were able to utilize the technology you… we acquired to bring Kara back, safely. She is fine.”

Astra nodded slowly and her shoulders relaxed for a few seconds. “Good.”

“You didn’t have to come all the way to speak to me, you could’ve easily found out if Kara made it back,” Alex replied, now slowly stalking around her living room, eyes never leaving Astra.

There was something fascinating about Astra, she wasn’t like Kara who could easily pass as a human now. Astra might physically appear like someone she could run into on the street on a sunny day, but Alex doubted she could fool anyone for long. Maybe part of it was the way she talked, or even that white streak in her hair, but Alex just couldn’t say what exactly it was about Astra that made her so fundamentally _different_.

“Perhaps,” Astra eventually answered, “but knowing that she is fine, as you’ve put it, was important to me.”

 “Well, that’s a first.”

Within the blink of an eye Astra had rounded on her and was right in front of Alex, their faces only inches apart. She didn’t even have the time to reach for her gun again.

“I may have made mistakes in the past, but Kara is my family and I will do everything in my power to protect her.”

Astra sounded so convincing that Alex was tempted to believe her. She wanted Kara to have a family, to live alongside the remaining survivors of Krypton, but she just could not spare a single moment of trust because the second she turned her back Astra would be likely to barbecue her with her heat vision.

“No, Kara is _my_ family and all you have been doing is hurt her. You do realize that it was your husband dearest who was responsible for this whole mess to begin with. Every time you attack, Kara is forced to fight you and you have absolutely no idea what that does to her.”

Astra’s breath hit Alex’s face in hot gasps and if she’d taken a moment to think about their proximity she would’ve realized that it smelled surprisingly pleasant, fruity almost. Same as Kara in that regard, never a morning with bad breath in her life.

In the next second Astra had disappeared, only a gust of air remaining. Alex stood in the middle of her living room, chest heaving and silently cursing. If there was one thing she should not be doing at the moment it was pissing off alien generals with superpowers.

S-S-S

Kara balled her hands into fists and unclenched them again. She wasn’t shaking, not exactly, but the nervous energy rushing through her body made it difficult to remain still. She kept on walking from one end of the room to the other, two pairs of eyes following her.

“Kara, you can’t hide in my office all day,” James said with raised eyebrows.

“We don’t know what happened between you and, uh, Miss Grant, but you still have a job to do, I mean, if you want to keep your job.”

Kara leveled a glare at Winn that made him twitch in his chair. “Nothing happened, I’m fine, everything is fine.”

Kara reached up and brushed her hands across her hair, making sure no strands were sticking out at random places, so she didn’t look like she hadn’t slept all night which, well, she hadn’t. She began fiddling with her glasses.

James rose from his perch at the edge of his desk and walked over to the glass door to pull it open. “Then you shouldn’t have a problem getting back to your desk, right?” he asked with an amused smile and gestured toward the offices bustling with activity.

Kara huffed quietly and strutted out of James’ office before her steps faltered again. Winn caught up with her and he rubbed his neck with a hand. “You know we’re glad you’re back, right? So please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’ve been acting weird all morning. Did something happen? In the past I mean.”

“No,” Kara replied, perhaps a tad too harshly because Winn seemed more confused than before.

She sighed quietly and quickened her steps until she was back at her desk. A brief glance at the clock on her tablet told her that she had about fifteen minutes left until Cat would strut into the office. Her heart stuttered a few beats at the thought but she straightened her shoulders and grabbed her purse to head down to Noonan’s.

The line was surprisingly long and she tapped her foot impatiently while waiting for her order. The last thing she wanted was to be late after everything that had happened. Luckily she managed to be back in the office just in time for a quick heat vision treatment before the elevator doors opened and Cat walked toward her.

She released a silent breath at the sight. Cat was of course impeccably dressed, her hair perfectly coiffed, just like she remembered. Given, she had seen Cat just last night, but this was different. It reminded her so much of the time she spent working alongside this aspiring journalist and there was a painful lump in her throat.

Large black sunglasses prevented Kara from actually seeing Cat’s eyes but she noticed the small falter in Cat’s steps simply because she was staring so intensely that it would’ve been uncomfortable any other time.

“Your latte, Miss Grant,” Kara said quietly. The cup was taken from her hand with precision and Cat only tilted her head a tiny bit without slowing down.

“Make sure I have a free half an hour, then come into my office.”

Every drop of blood rushed from Kara’s head to her stomach, making it feel like a giant piece of rock was lodged somewhere between her liver and kidney. She swallowed and watched Cat walk into her office and settle behind her desk.

Kara nodded to herself, trying to find any of that inner resolve still left from being Supergirl and defeating one extremely dangerous alien after the next, and sat down at her own desk to comply with Cat’s wishes.

Even though her fingers were shaking lightly, she managed to work through Cat’s morning appointments and send out emails to reschedule and apologize for the inconvenience. This was absolutely out of the ordinary and it made Kara almost weak in the knees. She’d never meant to cause these problems.

Kara had firmly believed that Cat would remember none of this, simply because they had already met in the future and she’d been certain Cat would’ve mentioned it if she remembered someone from the past looking exactly like her new assistant. It was almost too confusing to dwell on. The damage was done now and Kara would have to face up to her mistakes and apologize for them. Although she wasn’t entirely sure what Cat wanted from her. An apology, a justification?

Kara rose from her chair, shook out her hands and glanced over to Winn who was focused on his computer screen and didn’t seem aware of the fact she was close to simply passing out. She turned her head and watched Cat working on her own laptop for a few moments before she took a deep breath and slowly approached the office.

She briefly wondered if this would end in one of those very public dismissals, since nothing was really private behind glass doors.

Kara walked into the middle of the office to stop between the two couches, right next to the small coffee table. A decidedly cold shiver ran down her spine and the base of her neck tingled suddenly. The small statue on Cat’s coffee table caught her eye because it reflected the light streaming through the windows to her left, but she was distracted a moment later when Cat rose from her chair.

There was still a strange sensation at the base of her skull, but she chalked it up to the fact that she was likely about to be fired any moment now.

Cat walked around the desk slowly and then looked at Kara for a long moment before turning away and moving over to the balcony. Kara followed, reaching up to push her glasses back up her nose. Cat waited for Kara to walk through the door before she closed it, effectively giving them the privacy for the conversation to follow.

The silence was worse than any yelling or intimidation techniques, both of which Cat excelled at.

Kara took another breath and finally the tingling subsided. She was pretty sure that another moment of silence would actually make her leap off the building, so Kara parted her lips to say something, anything, when Cat beat her to it.

“I’m not angry,” Cat said and Kara immediately deflated. She took a few steps and sank into one of the comfy chairs. Cat stood across from her, back against the railing and hands resting on the marble on either side of her.

“You… you’re not?”

“At least not anymore. Now that I’ve had time to think, I can only wonder one thing – why? I simply don’t understand, not that you lied to me necessarily, which I don’t appreciate of course, but there wouldn’t have been any reason for you to… seek me out.”

Cat’s voice was low and quiet and it set Kara on edge. She rubbed her hands across her thighs. “I wasn’t going to, I mean not at first, but then things just happened, and you offered me a place to stay. I didn’t have anyone else, not then, and I was cut off from everyone here, it… I was scared,” Kara admitted, lowering her eyes and staring at Cat’s shoes.

Another moment of silence passed between them but it was interrupted by Kara’s cell phone. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. Alex was calling. She looked up through her lashes at Cat. “I have to take this.”

Cat waved her hand. “Go ahead.”

Kara shot an apologetic smile in Cat’s general direction and walked back into the office, swiping at the screen and holding the cell phone to her ear. “Alex?”

“Kara, I need you to come to the base right away.”

Alex had barely finished her sentence when Kara raced past Cat in a blur to the edge of the balcony and launched herself into the air.


	2. Taking flaws for a gamble to get ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is an offical warning for non-con content in the form of mind control (think Myriad). there will be no sexual element to this though, that's why this story does not have an archive warning attached to it.

“You sure you’re okay?” Alex asked for the third time and Kara nodded.

“Yeah, I got knocked around a bit but I feel fine, physically at least.”

Kara was still sitting on a table in the lab while Alex examined her face and the spot where her suit had been torn by a sharp claw.

“So, how did work go?” Alex asked and Kara sighed.

“Well, I was terrified of talking to Miss Grant, naturally, but she said that she isn’t angry, at least not anymore. But then you called me away and I kind of… bailed on her.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever gotten here that quick,” Alex replied, squinting at the already healed cut on Kara’s side.

Kara frowned and stared into space. “I don’t know, I guess I really didn’t want to continue that conversation with Miss Grant. And after you told me to come I just felt the need to hurry.”

Alex made a small noise of acknowledgement and grabbed a cotton swab to dab at Kara’s side. “The alien secreted some kind of substance when it attacked you. I’ll run some tests to be sure it wasn’t harmful, but we don’t have that species marked as poisonous in our data bank.”

“Thanks and ew.”

“I think we’re all set,” Alex announced and dragged the latex gloves off of her hands. “Thank you for your help.”

“No problem.” Kara jumped from the examination table and did a few mild stretches. Nothing was hurting anymore and she felt pretty okay, despite the alien she’d been trading blows with.

“I guess I’ll head back to work now. I’m going to have to stay longer today to catch up with everything.”

“So, no pizza and Netflix tonight?” Alex asked and Kara shook her head.

“I don’t think so,” Kara answered with a sigh.

“You’ll be fine,” Alex said and pulled Kara into a quick hug.

After that she left the DEO facilities and launched her body into the air. Cat wouldn’t be happy that she’d just disappeared like that, but somehow the instinct to leave had overwhelmed her desire to talk to Cat. Perhaps that was not terribly surprising after all, considering what they’d been talking about.

Kara landed softly atop the CatCo building and quickly changed into her normal clothes before she took the stairs back to the office. It was already well into the afternoon and she shot a quick smile in Winn’s direction before she settled at her desk and began going through the emails that had piled into her inbox during her absence.

She was keenly aware of Cat’s presence in the office, only a few feet away, but for the next hour or so Kara worked without interruption. She was listening so intently to what was happening behind the glass that she heard her name come out of Cat’s mouth before the first syllable had even completely passed her lips.

“Yes, Miss Grant?” Kara asked while striding into the office, hands tightly wrapped around her tablet.

"Have you arranged everything for the party tomorrow night? I need the car to pick me up at seven sharp, and Sheila should deliver my dress in the afternoon."

Kara glanced down at her tablet and nodded. "Done and done."

Cat looked up at her over the rim of her glasses and pointed to a folder on her desk. “Then run these down to design and get me some prints for the layout.”

Kara had barely time to nod before she felt a tugging sensation at the base of her skull and snatched the envelope off of Cat’s desk. Within the blink of an eye she had turned on her heel and was quite literally running through the office and toward the stairs. She tried to stop herself, to slow down, but her feet just kept going until she had arrived in the design department and was handing the folder to a confused looking co-worker.

Kara forced a smile onto her face. “Miss Grants wants these back as quickly as possible.”

With that Kara was once again on her way to the stairs, already reaching for the phone in her pocket. Something was definitely off and she needed Alex to run those tests on the alien substance a little faster.

After a quick conversation and multiple reassurances that yes, Kara felt fine and she would be staying at the office and that, no, she didn’t want to come back to the DEO just to be sure, she ended the phone call with a sigh and once again returned to her desk. Cat was watching her from her office and Kara managed a smile before sitting down and focusing on her own tablet screen. She just needed to get through this day and maybe tomorrow things would go back to normal. It seemed like her problems with Cat were throwing her off more than she thought.

Cat didn’t call for her again and she tried not to listen to every little noise in the office next door. With a little burst of speed every now and then she even managed to catch up on her work but she didn’t get ahead as she usually liked to do when there was plenty more to take care of the next day.

Alex sent her updates on her phone periodically but so far nothing indicated that anything was wrong with Kara at the moment and her uncontrolled bursts of speed remained unexplained. Perhaps it was really due to nerves and she just needed to clear the air with Cat before it became worse.

The office slowly emptied and Winn stopped by her desk to invite her to dinner. Kara declined with a small smile. “Rain check? I really have to finish this.”

Winn nodded and tilted his head. “You’re okay though? I saw you racing out of here earlier. I don’t think anyone else noticed though.”

“Yes, I’m okay, just a bit stressed.”

“Alright, if you say so. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Tomorrow, yes, have a good night.”

Winn waved and Kara wriggled her fingers in his direction as he headed toward the elevators. It was true that she needed to finish up her work, but she also wanted to speak to Cat once again. She had to.

The more she tried to block out everything that had happened during her little trip to the past, the guiltier and heavier she felt. It was as if an invisible weight had settled on her shoulders.

She hadn’t meant to make things so complicated between them. But then again, she also hadn’t counted on the strange incident that was time travel. How could she have possibly anticipated that Cat would suddenly remember everything?

Kara sighed and finished typing the last of her document before shutting down her tablet and chancing a glance toward Cat’s office.

Cat was also still working, her fingers flying across her keyboard, and Kara allowed herself a moment to simply take in the woman whom she had first known as her boss and then as a friend.

She stood from her chair and walked around her desk toward Cat’s office. Her knuckles connected gently with the glass of the office door and Cat leaned back before looking up.

The desks behind Kara were dark and empty, the two of them were the only ones left on this floor.

“It felt like… we could’ve been friends,” Kara said and Cat took off her reading glasses with slow deliberate movements.

“When I met you, at the Daily Planet, you were still… _you_ but somehow I had the feeling that we connected. You helped me when you really had no reason to, and you came to me because you needed my help in return. It felt good, to get to know you and to be there, to just play a tiny part in who I knew you were going to become.”

Kara smiled and looked down at her hands. “I never meant to betray your trust, or lie, but I understand that you’re disappointed. However, I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust again. I know… that you know about me now, and perhaps we can start with that.”

Kara knew that Cat was watching her with quiet scrutiny without having to look up.

“I’m not going to apologize for the actions of my younger self,” Cat eventually replied and Kara raised her eyes while shaking her head.

“There is nothing to –“ Kara began, but Cat interrupted her.

“Let me finish, please.”

Kara’s mouth snapped shut and her jaw quite literally locked into place.

“Despite what your intentions might have been, you deceived me, in the past. So I will simply attribute my behavior to being young and foolish,” Cat said and steepled her fingers atop her desk while leaning forward again. She pinned Kara with a long glance. “I am also not above admitting that your presence at this particular time in my life was helpful in actually saving my career. One could almost say you were merely doing your job.”

Kara wanted to protest, she wanted to say that she hadn’t just merely slipped back into her role as assistant but had helped Cat because she’d wanted to. But somehow her mouth wouldn’t obey her commands.

Cat must’ve seen the expression on her face because she waved her hand with a sigh. “Go ahead before you have an aneurism. Or I suppose that isn’t actually physically possible for you.”

“I didn’t just try to do my job, I wanted to be there, I wanted to help, so I did. I don’t regret what happened and if I had to go back again I would do it the same way,” Kara burst out as if her words had finally been released and she couldn’t keep them inside any longer.

Cat raised both eyebrows at Kara’s quick outburst and she pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Fine then, I suppose you’ve said your part. I think… that it is possible to work through whatever difficulties this little adventure has brought. Now that you’re finally ready to admit to being Supergirl, there could be a mutually beneficial addition to our work relationship.”

Kara frowned briefly and her eyes fluttered downwards at the realization that Cat was rather interested in salvaging their _work_ relationship because of Supergirl, and not because she wanted to clear the air with her assistant.

She nodded once and added a quick “Of course, Miss Grant,” before straightening her shoulders and pushing her glasses back up her nose. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No, you may go home,” Cat replied, and Kara didn’t even take a moment to glance at Cat. Instead she turned and threw a quiet “Goodnight, Miss Grant” over her shoulder before leaving.

Of course, she should’ve known that nothing had changed between them. What had she expected, really? That Cat Grant would suddenly realize that her assistant of two years could be more than just an employee, more than just a blue suit and red cape?

Kara quickly gathered her things from her desk and walked straight over to the elevators, not sparing another glance toward the glass doors like she usually did before heading home. She couldn’t quite explain why the sting of rejection was so painful and deep. This was what she’d hoped for, right? Cat had, more or less, forgiven her and the least she could do was try and repair some of the damage she’d caused, even if that meant pushing Supergirl further into the limelight.

S-S-S

Alex murmured quietly, going through the results again, flipping through charts and glancing at the magnified cells under her microscope. She groaned quietly when she came up empty once again.

Her back was aching from having been hunched over the same work for hours and nothing really seemed to explain Kara’s strange problems with her powers. Or perhaps it was limited to incontrollable bursts of speed, at least that was what it sounded like.

She looked up when she heard a quiet sound at the door and found Hank leaning against the wall. “Nothing yet?”

Alex shook her head and pushed herself away from her little table full with samples of various kinds. “I can’t seem to find any particularities with this species, nothing that would suggest Kara’s Kryptonian cells would react in any way.”

Hank hummed quietly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Perhaps it has nothing to do with the alien then.”

“Yes, but if that’s true I have nowhere else to start looking.”

“We will figure this one out, just like we always do, but I would suggest you get some rest for now.”

Alex opened her mouth to protest but Hank continued on. “You won’t be of any use to Kara if you don’t take care of yourself, as you well know, so take this as an order then. Rest. Now.”

Despite wanting to refuse, Alex felt exhaustion tugging at her eyes, not to mention that her focus was already shot. “Alright, fine. I’ll wrap up and head home for a few hours.”

Hank nodded at that. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Agent Danvers.”

Alex cleaned up afterwards and left a few of her samples sitting on a table in the corner, ready to be worked on in the morning. She exited the facilities of the DEO and climbed into her black SUV, courtesy of working for a secret government organization.

Despite the darkened streets ahead of her, her mind was a flurry of colorful activity. Maybe she could create a timetable of where Kara had been during the day, before and after her fight with the alien. But even then, these strange symptoms could also relate back to the fact that her little sister had just returned from an honest to god journey to the past.

Alex glanced at her dashboard and lifted her hand from the steering wheel to hover above one of the buttons. That moment of distraction was enough for her to be completely caught off guard when she returned her eyes to the desert road and found a figure standing in the beam of her headlights. She jumped onto the brakes and her car swiveled sideways, her knuckles going white around the steering wheel.

It felt decidedly like whiplash once the car came to a violent stop. She had skidded off the road and sand was whirling all around, blocking her view of the street ahead. Alex immediately unhooked her seatbelt and grabbed her gun from its holster before opening the door and stepping outside.

There was movement to her right and she whirled around and fired off two precise shots. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but the shadowy figure finally stepped toward the headlights.

“Astra?” Alex breathed, her heart beating so loudly that any other sound was almost drowned out.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you like that. Are you quite alright?”

Astra didn’t sound truly concerned and Alex gritted her teeth quietly. No wonder her bullets hadn’t had any effect.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“Well, I wanted to speak to you, and since I deemed it unsafe to appear at your home again, I decided to find a different place.”

“You have a funny definition of unsafe,” Alex replied and stared at her useless gun. She really needed to start carrying Kryptonite bullets. The only reason why she wasn’t doing it already was Kara and the fact that she often visited Alex’s apartment. As advanced as their technology was, she just didn’t want the harmful substance in her home when Kara came over.

“You have not been harmed, yes?”

Alex shoved her gun back into its holster and looked at Astra. She was in the mood to just get back into her car and leave Astra in the dust.

“What do you want?” Alex asked instead, seemingly the only viable question whenever Astra decided to grace her with her presence. Alex reached up to gingerly massage her neck with one hand. That little spin in the car hadn’t really helped her tense muscles.

“I have been trying to keep an eye on Kara since she has returned,” Astra said, and forestalled any of Alex’s protests with a tilt of her head, “of course not without taking precautions. My actions are undetectable by my soldiers, I assure you.”

“That still does not explain why you made me almost wreck my car in the middle of nowhere.”

Astra looked around briefly, her brow furrowing. ‘The middle of nowhere’ was probably not the desert near National City to someone who had traveled entire galaxies.

“You know of the problems Kara has had then?” Alex asked instead.

Astra nodded. “I do. I know that Kara fought one of the Fort Rozz prisoners, a species that is decidedly inferior to Kryptonians and should not cause any far-reaching problems.”

“That’s… what I suspected,” Alex replied. Okay, yes, Astra was one of the best resources in regards to Fort Rozz and its prisoners, but that didn’t mean Alex wasn’t violating seven or so DEO regulations by simply talking to her. Repeatedly.

“Then what do you think has caused Kara’s problems? Certainly not the squabble with this cat woman.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose slowly up to her forehead. “How much do you know exactly?”

“I may have happened to be nearby the night Kara returned,” Astra answered, her eyes flickering away briefly.

“So you’ve been eavesdropping,” Alex replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Astra shifted around a little, just moving her weight from one foot to the other, but it reminded Alex so much of Kara when she’d been busted doing something she shouldn’t have.

“It is not like I can help my Kryptonian physiology.”

“Oh bullshit,” Alex interrupted, rolling her eyes.

Astra seemed almost affronted but Alex shook her head briefly. “Okay, it doesn’t matter, let’s just focus on the fact that Kara has some trouble with her powers right now and judging by what you’ve said this far, you don’t know what is causing it either.”

“That would be correct,” Astra replied, still scowling, “but I will take the time to investigate further.”

“And you really believe that no one will notice if you’re just, what, out there looking for Supergirl?”

Alex knew that she was playing a dangerous game. It had started the moment she’d allowed Astra to help her fine tune the technology that had brought Kara back from the past. Astra was still the enemy, still the general of a violent alien force hell-bent on destroying humanity. Yet they were meeting in secret and it seemed as if Astra was trying to help Kara in any way possible.

And it was exactly this connection that had made Alex pause and consider Astra’s proposal in the first place. Astra appeared to have the genuine desire to keep her niece safe and if this was a larger ploy to destroy them from up-close, Alex simply didn’t see it working.

“I know you mistrust my motives, but do not doubt my authority over my troops or the fact that I am excellent at everything I do. I have been keeping an eye on Kara without either of you noticing.”

Alex swallowed at the forceful tone and raised her hands in a pacifying gesture. “Alright, fine, if you say you can do it, you probably can. Of course I worry about Kara, so anything you might find will be helpful.”

Astra took a breath and inclined her head. “I know where to find you.”

Already in the next second only a small cloud of dust remained where Astra had been standing in the circle of her SUV’s headlights. Alex reached up and dug her fingers into the muscles of her shoulders. She didn’t know what to make of Astra’s behavior and right in that moment she was simply too tired to try and figure it out.

She got back into her car and leaned into the seat with a sigh, closing her eyes briefly. She had no idea how long she could keep this up. Of course she didn’t want to lie to Kara and Hank, or the entire DEO; but it seemed impossible to attempt to explain what had driven her to trust Astra enough to not arrest her on sight.

Alex slammed her hands against the steering with a silent scream and took a deep breath before starting the engine and getting back onto the road.

S-S-S

The next morning Cat was standing behind the desk in her office, scowl firmly in place because it was way too early for such drama.

“You stupid bi–“

“Oh please, you call me a bitch like it’s a bad thing, when the real challenge would be to find an insult that does not demean women or minorities. I would even appreciate some creativity on your part Jim, since that has been decidedly lacking in those last few articles you plagiarized.”

The man in Cat’s office was shaking with hands balled into fists, a prominent vein pulsing along his throat and across his forehead. She’d expected as much. Jim wasn’t a patient or reasonable man, and this outburst only validated Cat’s suspicions. After having received several complaints about his temper, Cat had sat down with other members of his department and upon finding the plagiarized articles, stolen from his own assistant no less, it had become necessary to terminate his employment.

Kara was already hovering in the doorway to the office and Cat tilted her chin forward as a sign to continue with the usual procedure. Security was on stand-by but Cat preferred to take care of these things her own way. She kept her desk between herself and the irate man as she tapped her fingers against the smooth surface.

“Save the last of your dignity and leave, Jim, you’re done here.”

Kara had slowly inched her way toward them so that she was now basically standing beside Jim, ready to step between them if necessary. Cat had always felt just a bit more safe with Kara nearby, even when the worry over her rather clumsy assistant getting hurt had weighed heavier, but at least now she knew the reason behind Kara's calming presence.

“You know what? I’m better than this, I can find a job at any other paper, better ones than this gossip rag,” Jim spat and Cat raised a slow eyebrow, focusing on the situation at hand.

She was going to make sure he wouldn’t be able to find work from National City to Metropolis, but for the sake of bringing this little drama to an end, she kept those words to herself.

Two members of her security personnel appeared outside of her office, already prepped, and Cat gestured for them to escort Jim off the premises. In a few days he would receive the belongings from his desk in the mail.

“Screw you, Cat,” Jim called as he spun on his heel, almost knocking into Kara with his flailing arms. His beady little eyes settled on Kara for a split second and he sneered. “How can you work for her, huh? She treats everyone like crap. Tell her how you really feel for once.”

Jim stormed out of the office and waved his arms around once again as the security staff took position on either side of him to escort him straight to the elevators.

Such a scene wasn’t exactly rare but the people around the office were still watching Jim’s departure with rapt attention. That was why no one paid any mind to Cat who sighed with a shake of her head and opened her mouth to say something snarky yet smart when she caught sight of Kara staring at her, lips pressed tightly together.

"What?" Cat asked, impatiently tapping her fingers against her desk.

"I really like you," Kara blurted out, "and although you can be mean and brash, there's this person underneath, someone who cares deeply and that's why I like you. Very much."

Kara's eyes widened and she slapped a hand across her mouth. Cat was staring at her, mouth slightly agape, until Kara mumbled a quiet "I'm so sorry" and disappeared in a rush of air, leaving Cat alone in her office.

S-S-S

“Oh my god, oh Rao, oh my god,” Kara whispered under her breath.

She hurried through the lobby of the CatCo building, her jacket and purse clutched tightly to her chest. Something was wrong with her, obviously, and she'd just told Cat Grant that she liked her. Kara winced and stepped out onto the street, glancing around briefly. She just needed to get into an alley and change her clothes before heading toward the DEO. There they would certainly find out what exactly was happening to her and how to stop it.

She quickly descended the stairs in front of the building only to be stopped by a familar voice.

"Supergirl, do you have a moment?"

Kara stopped and turned to see Maxwell Lord leaning against the small wall that surrounded the steps on either side. He had his hands in his pockets and seemed rather relaxed. And completely out of place.

"I think we have a few things to talk about," he added, slowly starting to walk past her and toward the busy sidewalk. "Take a walk with me."

Kara's feet immediately began to move forward until she had caught up with him.

"What do you want?" she hissed and Lord smiled briefly.

"We both know that I don't trust you to watch over the city, and now I think it is time that Supergirl reports to a different authority than a government agency that imprisons people without fair trial. Wouldn't you agree?" Kara glared at Lord as they continued to stroll down the sidewalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, this last scene will be the extent of the non-con content of this story. there will be no sexual non-con interactions between Kara and Lord (or any other villain).


	3. Hubris leads its hounds to hamartia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of rambling before the chapter begins, so please bear with me. 
> 
> for the past week I have been debating whether or not to continue this story. I thought about taking it down and writing something entirely different, but eventually decided that I would stick with my original idea and write what I planned to write. although I did go back and change the ending of Chapter 2, so that it has a different setting and tone to begin with.
> 
> but I do want to say a few things about the non-con content of this fic. somehow my Disney-fied mind refused to see that what I was writing about has a dark side and would be taken entirely different than I’d intended. although we see mind control and such things regularly on TV (like Myriad), different people will feel triggered by different things. 
> 
> I’d like to believe that I am a critical thinker, but for some reason I kept envisioning a story like Ella Enchanted, rather than Jessica Jones. or in other words, Maxwell Lord is the villain of my story, but I didn’t see him as a Killgrave-like character, but rather as someone who does fear or resent Supergirl for having god-like powers. in that sense, he wants control over something he doesn’t understand or cannot control, but not to force Supergirl into any sexual situations. he had the opportunity for such things with Bizarro but instead sent her to fight Supergirl. 
> 
> however, that does not excuse my oversight or the fact that this is non-con content, although not in a sexual sense. as it is still my story, I will accept the decreased readership and the negative feedback. it has been a learning curve already, and perhaps it is a good thing to discuss it like this and learn more about my own thought processes. 
> 
> special thanks goes out to krystalgoderitch for being my sounding board on this and giving me thoughtful advice. without her this story may have landed in the trash bin.

Cat hissed quietly when the pointed metal end of her earring dug into the sensitive skin of her earlobe. She took a steadying breath and leaned toward the mirror to finally fit the earring where it was supposed to go and secure the clasp. Afterwards she took a step back and regarded her reflection with a critical eye. She looked fine, good enough for this evening.

The dress clung to her body in just the right ways and yet she decided to wear a shawl that covered her skin where it was exposed by the cut of the shoulders. She didn’t feel like being flashy, not at all. The only reason she was going out at all was that this party had been painstakingly organized by CatCo and its sponsors, so she needed to make at least an appearance.

The cell phone on her vanity came to life with a familiar ringtone and Cat took the call with a smile. “Hello dear, are you ready for bed?”

Carter was off on a small trip with his father, away from National City, and despite the fact that Cat missed him dearly she was glad that he was not within city limits at the moment. The last time Kara had been acting this strangely, she’d been thrown off a balcony and had seen her rather impressive life flash in front of her eyes.

Cat ended the call with Carter, wishing him a goodnight, before staring at the screen. None of her calls or messages had been answered and she was going to give Kara another two hours before she took action. Agent Henshaw’s number was still tucked away in her purse, but she had yet to dial it into the phone, but if Kara ignored her any longer she would contact Supergirl’s super secret government agency, just to be sure that she wasn’t about to be lobbed off another building.

Grabbing her purse, she left her city apartment and headed downstairs where the car was already waiting. A strange sensation settled somewhere near the pit of her stomach at the thought of having to whether the onslaught of faces and greetings without Kara’s ever so helpful reminders in her ear.

She spent the rest of the ride in silence and quickly climbed out of the car once they reached the venue, a five-star hotel in the heart of the city. Cat didn’t waste any time with the photographers from other magazines and made her way into the foyer without interruption. She had a few people in mind she needed to speak with before she could make her exit, so the quicker she found them the better.

The evening seemed to drag on forever as she grabbed one champagne glass after another from the trays of passing waiters. The small talk was dull, the food mediocre and Cat found herself absolutely bored with a side of annoyance.

Luckily people knew not to attempt to shake hands with her, not anymore, but the air kisses and insincere smiles were still grating on her nerves. She had just said her goodbyes to one of the board members and his fourth or fifth wife when a murmur went through the crowd. A voice from behind her caused an unpleasant shiver to race down Cat’s spine.

“Cat, I’m glad I caught you.”

Cat turned around, a sardonic smile already firmly in place, when her entire body froze at the unexpected sight. Maxwell Lord was standing in front of her, but that wasn’t what had Cat gaping like a fish.

Right there, beside Lord, stood Kara, Supergirl, the woman who had been working for her for the past two years, and Cat couldn’t make heads or tails of the image. Kara was wearing her full Supergirl outfit, the so familiar glasses completely absent.

“What the…? What is the meaning of this?” Cat frowned and stared at Kara, but there was no sign of any emotion on her usually so expressive face.

“Oh, Supergirl had something to tell you, in person,” Lord began and Cat bristled quietly.

She still had her champagne glass clutched in one hand and her purse in the other. She was thinking about smashing the glass into Lord’s face and beating him to the ground with her purse while she pressed her lips together with a tilt of her head. “Tell me what exactly?”

“I will no longer be associated with CatCo,” Kara answered and Cat had to wonder briefly if she’d heard correctly. Kara’s voice sounded nothing like her own. Something was clearly wrong and Lord knew it. He was well aware that Cat could tell that Kara wasn’t herself, and yet he had brought her here, to a public party no less, to flaunt whatever was happening right now.

“Oh I don’t think so,” Cat drawled and looked at Lord with a smirk, “I created Supergirl, and she will always be closely linked with CatCo, with me.”

“Unless the city would be better served with Supergirl working alongside someone who could control her inhuman powers should she decide to join the other aliens in destroying us,” Lord replied, his face turning into a frown. “I just thought you should hear it from the source that your hero has other priorities than giving interviews now.”

 “Supergirl, a word,” Cat snapped and she watched with a sinking feeling how Kara’s eyes drifted to Lord, waiting for a small nod from him before she began moving.

“Don’t be too long,” Lord said and Kara nodded.

Cat narrowed her eyes and not so gently took Kara’s arm to lead them away from Lord and the crowd toward an exit door nearby. She pushed Kara into the maintenance hallway and rounded on her with a glare. “Don’t move, we’ll talk in a minute.”

There was no reaction from Kara aside from a slight shift of her shoulders. Cat sighed and snatched her phone out of her purse, digging around until she found Agent Henshaw’s number.

The deep voice answered after the second ring.

“I have no time to explain, but Supergirl is… she… something is wrong with her, like… like the last time she was not herself. I need you to come here now, I’m –“

“We know where you are Miss Grant, a team will arrive in less than ten minutes,” Hank replied and Cat exhaled a quiet breath.

“Hurry.”

The line went dead and Cat raised her eyes to find Kara staring at her with an expressionless mask. She’d never seen Kara like this, so completely detached, not even as evil Supergirl.

The Kara she knew wore her emotions on her sleeve and had this goodness about her that Cat hadn’t seen in a long time. Now that she remembered the events from her past, she easily recalled her younger self thinking that Kara was special, not because of her alien powers of course, but because of the way she looked at life. Her undeterred optimism was maybe the one thing that set her apart from humanity the most.

“Kara, I know that this isn’t you,” Cat said quietly, “whatever Lord has done, we can fix it, your secret agent friends can fix it.”

“There is nothing wrong,” Kara replied and the tone of her voice brought back the shivers along Cat’s spine.

Kara didn’t even sound like herself anymore and Cat grimaced. Whatever Lord had done, he would pay for it, dearly.

“This is the last meeting we will have. Goodbye.”

Kara turned away from her but Cat simply refused to be dismissed like that. She reached out and grabbed Kara’s arm, her fingers moving across the material of her suit, but it was like trying to move a wall. Kara barely reacted and simply shrugged Cat’s grip off as if swatting at an annoying fly.

Cat ground her teeth together and hurried after Kara who was surprisingly quick with her long legs. Kara had crossed the foyer of the hotel in a matter of moments and Cat hastened to keep up in her heels. She didn’t care about the eyes that were undoubtedly watching her chase after Supergirl in the middle of such an event. It didn’t matter, not at the moment.

Lord was waiting at the entrance to the hotel and Cat wanted nothing more than to slam her fist right where his teeth were showing between his lips. Kara and Lord exited the building several seconds before Cat managed to do so and she found herself staring at several guns aimed in her direction. Somehow Agent Mulder and Scully had managed to clear the front of the hotel and surround it with black vans, so that no prying eyes or cameras would be able to see or capture anything.

“Step away from her, Lord,” Scully called and Cat started inching away from Lord and Kara, slowly making her way to the side so that she wasn’t staring at their turned backs.

Kara took a small step forward, in front of Lord no less, and a quiet round of murmurs came from the assembled agents.

Cat’s mind was whirling. She was missing something here. Lord wouldn’t be so incredibly smug if he wasn’t sure of himself, but that was also his weakness. Hubris. He liked to flaunt his victories, obviously, otherwise he wouldn’t have shown up with Kara like this. But the questions was, why would Kara suddenly be working for Lord? What did he have over her to be able to command her like that?

At the word ‘command’, Cat’s train of thought screeched to a sudden halt. Her mind returned to the situation in her office, when Kara had…well, now that she thought about it, Kara had simply followed a command, regardless of the fact that it had come from an imbecilic bastard.

Cat suddenly thought of the statue Lord had given her, the one still sitting on the coffee table in her office. Things began falling into place and Cat felt her heart hammer in her chest. Her hands tingled and began to grow cold. If she was right with her assumptions, then this situation was even more dangerous than anyone present could possibly fathom.

“Kara, look at me,” Cat said quietly and immediately blue eyes found her own.

Despite the emotionless façade, Cat saw something flicker through blue eyes and her stomach sank. She curled her fingers into fists and raised one of them to her mouth, hiding her lips.

“I think I understand,” she whispered and saw Kara’s shoulders move almost imperceptibly.

“This is simply how things are going to work from now on, Agent Danvers,” Lord replied.

Cat’s eyes flickered over to Scully, whose name she hadn’t even bothered to learn before, and she once again saw a connection slot into place. Kara had mentioned a foster sister before, Alex, so perhaps it wasn’t surprising that they were working side by side, saving the city from otherworldly elements. That explained at least Alex’s protective behavior when Cat had visited the DEO facilities after Supergirl’s little trip to the past.

“I don’t know what you have done, but you won’t get away with it.”

Cat admired the sincerity wrapped in a threat with which Alex conveyed her words, but she was currently occupied with trying to find a solution to this dilemma, so she didn’t listen to the exchange of platitudes. She didn’t want Lord to know that she had an idea of what was happening, and yet she couldn’t let Kara get away, not when Lord had a hold over her like this.

The nightly air raised goose bumps across Cat’s skin as she kept her eyes trained on Kara who was bathed in the light coming from the various headlights of the SUVs surrounding them.

Cat shifted forward a little and cut her eyes over to Alex who was still trading insults and threats with Lord.

“Kara, walk away and – ,” Cat whispered and Kara immediately took several quick steps in her direction. Everything that happened afterward seemed a blur to Cat, but it started with Lord noticing how Kara had moved away from him.

Cat had opened her mouth to utter the next command but Lord’s yell drowned out her voice. “Get us out of here.”

Already in the next second, Kara had grabbed Lord and launched them both into the air, quickly ascending into the nightly sky.

“No,” Cat called but they had already disappeared from sight. “Come back here this instant. Drop Lord and turn around right now.”

Cat balled her hands into fists, staring up at the stars with a scowl. “You listen to me Supergirl, I will not let this stand, you know I don’t take kindly to insubordination. Come back.”

The last word out of her throat sounded raw and almost desperate and Cat fought the urge to stomp her heeled foot like a child.

“Miss Grant,” a voice said from beside her and Cat turned to glare at Alex.

“We have to go to my office, now,” she answered and stomped toward one of the SUVs still parked around the hotel entrance in a half circle.

“What the hell is going on? What happened to Kara and why are you involved?” Boots hit the pavement behind her until Alex had caught up with Cat.

“I’ll explain in the car, let’s move, chop chop.”

Cat slid into the backseat of the black SUV, tucking her dress around her thighs and resting her purse in her lap. She watched Alex exchange a few words with Hank before she joined her in the back and another agent took the wheel.

“Okay, talk.”

Cat raised a hand to her forehead and rubbed her fingertips across her brow where a headache was starting to form.

“Alright, let me start from the beginning.”

Alex opened her mouth but Cat spoke before she had time to say anything. “A good journalist knows how to tell a story and get to the point at the same time, Agent Danvers, so just listen please.”

Cat took a deep breath and curled her fingers into the leather of the purse on her lap. “Lord came to my office while Kara was… still trapped in the past. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I’m fairly certain that he has been planning this for a while.”

“Go on,” Alex said and leaned back into the seat, her eyes sharp and focused.

S-S-S

Alex climbed out of the car and stared up at the giant CatCo building, her thoughts a complete mess of ideas, concerns and guilt.

She heard Cat Grant’s heels on the pavement before she saw her walking around the SUV and toward the main entrance. She still looked pretty fabulous in her expensive evening dress, but Alex had realized that most of Cat’s bravado was a façade at this point. She also had to admit that Cat’s worry seemed absolutely genuine and the woman had proven to be quite helpful in the past.

This time around she had apparently solved the mystery Alex had been brooding over in her lab and it sent a small stab of jealousy through her abdomen that it had taken the head of a media company to do so.

Alex turned to the other agent who had driven them to CatCo and tilted her head forward. “I’ll be right back with the specimen, keep me updated if there are any sightings of Supergirl.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Alex sighed and slowly followed Cat through the main doors toward an elevator tucked away in a corner. The night guard greeted them with a confused frown but Cat dismissed him as she waltzed right past.

Cat tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator took them to the top floor with a quiet hum. Alex tried her best not to fidget, knowing that the source of Kara’s predicament might be waiting for her in that office.

As soon as the doors opened, Cat strode forward and Alex had to jog a few steps to get in front of her.

“Take it easy, I’m going to clear the parameter first.”

Cat shot her a glare but remained standing outside of her office while Alex slowly walked inside, her eyes sweeping around the unfamiliar space. Her gaze landed on the small statue on the coffee table and a shiver ran down her spine. Such an innocuous thing with such sinister power.

“I should’ve known better,” Cat said quietly from behind and Alex turned to look over her shoulder.

“You couldn’t have.”

Cat scoffed. “Lord always has an ulterior motive, every time, and yet I put this… this _thing_ here, where it could harm Kara, where it did harm her. It’s my fault.”

Alex parted her lips to reply, but she was cut off by a rush of cold air across her skin and movement she saw from the corner of her eye. She spun around, gun in her hands, only to take in the now familiar sight of Astra in her black combat suit.

“What the –” Cat hissed but Alex only blew out a long breath and holstered her weapon.

“Astra,” Alex said, “you’ve heard what happened?”

Astra nodded slowly, glancing at Cat with narrowed eyes.

Alex walked over to the small statue. She stared at it for a moment, its green, red and orange colors, before cradling it in her hands and turning to Astra and Cat. “I need to run tests on this. If it is anything like the Red Kryptonite that influenced Kara last time, I should be able to synthesize a cure.”

Cat crossed her arms in front of her body. “We don’t have time for you to bury yourself in your lab, Kara doesn’t have the time.”

“What has this statute to do with anything?” Astra asked, stepping forward and examining the Kryptonite for a moment, “If it is here, at the place of Kara’s employment, then we must assume she had something to do with it,” Astra said, inclining her head toward Cat.

“You better not be insinuating that I’m behind this,” Cat replied.

“And if I were?”

Astra took a few steps in Cat’s direction, shoulders pulled back and jaw set. The two women looked like polar opposites and if it weren’t for the fact that Astra could break Cat in half with a flick of her wrist, they might have been evenly matched.

“Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Getting into a fight now won’t solve anything,” Alex interrupted, but Cat and Astra were still glaring daggers at each other.

“Exactly,” Cat added haughtily, “take a seat while Agent Danvers and I discuss this.” She waved her hand toward the couch, clearly not expecting Astra to do so just a moment later.

Astra immediately began to move and she plopped down into the cushions, her face clearly showing her shock and confusion.

“What is the meaning of this?” she growled and Alex closed her eyes briefly.

“It means that we now know its influence goes beyond Kara. Lord somehow modified the Red Kryptonite so that it alters the mind in a different way.”

“A human did this?” Astra asked, still sitting on the couch and staring at Alex with a dark gaze.

“A human who will never again see the light of day if I have anything so say about it, but Cat is right, we need to focus on getting Kara away from Lord before I can work on an antidote.”

Alex stared down at the statue in her hand and inhaled deeply. This was her fault. She should’ve known that Lord wouldn’t stop synthesizing new forms of Kryptonite, not when he’d witnessed the power of the Red-K firsthand.

“I will assist you in finding Kara,” Astra said as she curled her hands into the cushions of the sofa, “but you need to free me of these restraints first.”

“Of course,” Alex answered, the cogs in her mind rotating while she went through a list of possible strategies in her mind. “You’re free to do whatever you need.”

Astra immediately rose to her feet and Alex looked up, only to find Astra staring at her with an inscrutable expression.

“Well, as entertaining as this was, we need a plan first,” Cat interrupted and Alex found herself nodding slowly.

Two women whom she’d never thought she would be in the same room with were now looking at her as if she had any idea how to go about this. Lord had wanted them to know that he controlled Supergirl, that was simply the kind of narcissist he was, but now he wouldn’t give her up so easily.

They needed to trap him somehow.

“You’ve known Lord for a long time,” Alex said, looking at Cat, “you know his weaknesses, and with Astra we have the element of surprise on our side. We’re going to bring that bastard down and it’s on us to save Kara for a change.”

S-S-S

Alex wandered into her living room and turned on the lamps at her desk. She sat down and stared at the screen of her laptop.

Once again Hank had sent her home with the order to get some rest before she ran herself into the ground and became useless to Kara, but she couldn’t sleep, not now.

Her sister was still in the clutches of a man who equally feared and resented everything Supergirl stood for. Alex had seen and heard enough to know that Lord thought himself superior to most humans while he was also afraid of being found imperfect compared to aliens with godlike powers.

So, she should’ve known that he would not stop trying to take away Supergirl’s powers. Now it just seemed like he’d found a different option, one that gave him the control over said powers.

Just like Bizarro, he wanted someone who acted under his command with no regard to the person beyond the powers. Just a tool he could use to protect the city the way he thought was right.

Alex groaned and reached up to press the heels of her hands into her eyes. She’d siphoned strength from Astra’s calm yet undeterred demeanor and Cat’s fiery determination to try and cobble together a plan that would bring Kara back to them unharmed. But so far it didn’t seem like she was getting anywhere with her ideas.

A knot formed in the pit of her stomach at the knowledge that she had been keeping the truth about her association with Astra from the DEO, but the time hadn’t been right to broach the subject. But now, if she could figure out a way to save Supergirl, she could point out that Astra would be an invaluable help and should cautiously be considered an ally rather than the enemy.

Not that she cared about what happened to Astra, her priority would always be Kara, and yet the tightening in her stomach became almost painful. At this rate she was going to give herself an ulcer, no doubt.

 “How to get a weasel out of its burrow with a lioness forced to guard the entrance?”

Alex leaned back and cradled her jaw in the palm of her hand. “What if we try to get in through the back door?,” she mumbled, pulled her laptop closer and began researching Lord Tech facilities.

S-S-S

The next morning Alex strode into the DEO and came to a halt in front of Hank, crossing her arms behind her back. He glanced at her briefly and did a double take before focusing on her with a raised eyebrow. “Agent Danvers?”

“We need to talk, sir.”

Hank nodded slowly and extended his hand toward his office. “Very well then.”


	4. What you leave reaches for you in your stead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a heartfelt thank you to those who left such kind and encouraging words on the last chapter, it does mean so much. also, much love to Octoplods/Supergaysupercat for being awesome and wonderful, and creating gorgeous art.
> 
> we're on the home stretch folks, so here it goes.

“Sir, we’ve registered an attack at the Lord Tech Center downtown, possible alien involvement,” Vasquez announced.

“We’re sending a team,” Hank replied, hands firmly clasped behind his back. He was standing beside Vasquez and turned to Alex.

“Agent Danvers, take Kryptonite weapons, just in case.”

Alex nodded and shared a look with Hank before she spun on her heels and headed toward their armory. Her team fell into step behind her and soon enough they were headed toward National City in a row of black SUVs and handfuls of weapons designed to take down various alien life forms.

The cars came to a screeching halt outside of the Lord Tech Center where it seemed like several explosions had already compromised the structure of the building. Rubble rained down onto the roof of the car and she tapped the earpiece to activate its GPS.

“We’re engaging hostile attackers, stay alert.”

They stepped out of the SUVs simultaneously and hurried across the sidewalk toward the entrance of the large building with guns at the ready. The glass front of the foyer was pretty much shattered and the shards crunched underneath her heavy boots. Alex gestured for her team to split up to cover more ground as she headed straight for the main staircase.

A beeping sound in her ear alerted her to a message and she tapped against the earpiece briefly. “We’re opening the basement,” a voice hissed and Alex took a deep breath.

Astra was doing her part of the job and now it was on Alex to take care of the rest. But she also needed to make sure her team would get out of this unscathed. The basement underneath their feet was flooded with Kryptonian soldiers right at this second and she had to avoid an outright stand-off at all costs.

The ground began to rumble ominously and Alex barely managed to yell a “Move back” at her teammates before the floor caved under her boots and she was slipping downwards. She clutched her gun with one hand while shielding her eyes and face with the other as she felt rock and metal crumbling around her. She was anticipating a rather painful landing but instead ended up on something decidedly pliable.

She coughed because of the dust filling her lungs, scratching at the back of her throat, and forced her eyes apart to look up at the large hole in the ceiling. Upon turning her head she found herself staring at the dirt-streaked face of none other than Astra herself, who was floating mid-air while carrying Alex bridal style.

“Glad you could join me Agent Danvers,” Astra said with a tilt of her head.

“Did you just seriously blast the floor from under my feet?” Alex asked as Astra landed on the ground and set her down.

“It would’ve taken you quite a while to reach this part of the building if I hadn’t,” Astra replied with a small shrug, “I found myself alone for a moment and saw an opportunity.”

Alex simply grunted quietly and glanced up at the gaping hole in the ceiling again before pressing her gun tightly against her body. This was neither the time nor the place to argue.

“Have you located her?”

“The walls here are lined with a metal, you call it lead, I believe,” Astra replied with a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Alex cursed quietly and began moving down the corridor. After the dust had settled a bit she realized that the hallway was stark white, it appeared almost sterile, something one would expect at a hospital, not a company that manufactured technological devices.

Astra followed her slowly but before they could round the first corner, strong fingers wrapped around her arm and she was pulled back and pushed into the wall. “What the hell?”

“Someone’s coming,” Astra whispered, “my people are still down here but they will depart as soon as they realize that the prize they were promised is not here, until then you have to stay behind.”

“I’m not going to wait around –“ Alex began, but suddenly those same fingers were wrapped around her throat and her back slammed into the wall again, this time with more force.

She stared into Astra’s face, trying to form words but only a meek croak made it past her lips. Had she really misjudged Astra so gravely?

“General,” a voice boomed through the corridor and Astra turned her head away so that Alex was treated to a view of her sharp profile, the white streak in her hair almost fluorescent in the artificial light.

“We’re under attack from a group of humans,” the newcomer announced.

“I’m aware,” Astra replied in a clipped tone.

“You led us into a trap.”

Astra’s face darkened and she moved her body slightly. “What are you accusing me of, Non?”

“Our people have been wary of your intentions for a while now and I suppose I didn’t want to see it, too blinded by our past to believe that you would truly betray us.”

“What are you talking about?” Astra hissed.

“I’ve been tracking you.”

Alex was listening to the conversation with a pounding heart. The hand at her throat wasn’t pleasant, not at all, but she could still breathe and with her slumped posture it probably looked like Astra had taken her out already.

Her assault rifle was slung across her body and was hanging at her side. She could easily grab it and fire a round of Kryptonite bullets if it became necessary but for now she was willing to play along.

“You dare to defy your superior? To doubt _me_?” Astra growled and let go of Alex.

Realizing the change in their positions, Alex slowly slid to the ground, letting her head roll to the side and away from Non.

“You have been replaced Astra.”

The sound of two solid bodies colliding mid-air was like a grenade going off and Alex flinched involuntarily, curling away from where Astra had slammed Non into the wall. She glanced up through her lashes and saw Non recovering quickly as he charged toward Astra. They seemed almost evenly matched as they traded blows and what she assumed were Kryptonian insults.

Perhaps it was time to intervene, despite her reluctance to reveal their trump card just yet, she didn’t want to see Astra taking on Non when they needed to focus their attention on Lord and Kara.

After a particularly powerful blow, Astra sailed through the air and slammed into the ground. Non was on her a second later, both hands wrapping around her throat as his eyes began to glow.

Alex jumped to her feet and opened a small lead-lined box attached to the belt at her hip. She gingerly lifted the piece of modified Red Kryptonite between gloved fingers and stepped closer to Non and Astra just in time before they were about to obliterate each other with heat vision.

“Both of you stop immediately,” she yelled and both froze.

Alex exhaled a quiet sigh of relief and shouldered her weapon. “Let Astra go,” she commanded and Non obeyed, getting up and stepping away. Fury and confusion were clearly written across his face.

“Stay right there, do not attack either of us and keep absolutely quiet,” Alex rushed out and Non’s muscles visible locked into place. Judging by the glare, he surely would’ve turned Alex into a tiny pile of ash with his heat vision if he were able to.

Alex marched over to Astra and held out her hand to pull her to her feet. Astra hesitated for only split second before grabbing the offered arm and letting herself be hoisted up. Astra’s wounds had already healed from the brief fight but Alex could still see the blood from a split lip on her chin and the way she favored her right leg.

“You okay?”

“That was a very risky thing to do,” Astra replied, her gaze focused on Non and his immobile state.

“Yeah, well, we don’t have the time for those little power struggles. Once we have resolved the situation here, we can figure out a way to deal with the escaped Fort Rozz prisoners, but right now I need you to remove your people from the basement so I can secure the area.”

The muscles in Astra’s jaw jumped and she cut her eyes over to Alex for a moment. “The Kryptonite, as you call it, could cause problems for me now that I have been exposed to it and Non is aware of its powers.”

Alex furrowed her brow and stared down at the piece of translucent crystal in her hand. “Right, until I have developed a cure, you might want to be careful who you surround yourself with. I can command Non to sound the retreat and immediately turn himself into the DEO, provided no one tells him otherwise.”

“No one would attempt to give orders to Non or me,” Astra replied, “I will take care of my people. When he becomes your prisoner, will he be… executed?”

“What? No, we’ll simply detain him.”

Astra nodded and turned away. “Take care of Kara.”

“I will.”

With a small gust of wind Astra had disappeared and Alex glanced at a still glaring Non. Luckily that was all he could do in his current state.

“Well then, let’s get on with it.”

S-S-S

Her black town car came to halt in front of the Lord Tech building and Cat was already halfway out of her seat when her driver appeared to open the door for her. “Are you certain you want to get out here, Miss Grant?”

Cat shot him a quick look. “Park a safe distance away, I’ll be back.”

Her driver still seemed apprehensive but nodded nonetheless before he got back into the car and drove off. Cat watched the retreating taillights for a moment as she took a deep breath, trying to steel her resolve.

She wasn’t a stranger to dangerous situations, not in her line of work and especially not after the disaster with Livewire and Silver Banshee, but this time she was actively getting herself involved in something that may as well be over her head.

But then again she simply couldn’t stand for Maxwell Lord poaching Supergirl with less than dishonest methods. He had planted the Kryptonite statue in _her_ office, alongside a camera and microphone, and if that wasn’t an open declaration of war she had no idea what was.

After meeting with Alex and yet another superpowered alien who was also somehow connected to Kara, they had come up with a plan of attack and Cat would be damned if she let herself be excluded from its execution. Although Alex had told her to stay away from Lord Tech until the situation was resolved, she wouldn’t have gotten to where she was now if she took orders from other people.

And as reluctant as she was to admit it, she needed to make sure that Kara was alright. No one deserved such a fate, being robbed of the capability to make one’s own decisions, especially not someone who was so full of life and potential.

Cat nodded to herself and straightened her shoulders as she marched toward the entrance of the Lord Tech building. It looked as if someone had set off a bomb, the destruction was devastating. The area had obviously been cordoned off by the DEO but the black vans all over the street were abandoned.

Cat had chosen to wear the black running shoes she usually only put on for her Pilates class. Combined with a black coat and jeans, she was able to slip into the building unnoticed. But once she set foot into the foyer, the ground beneath her began to rumble and she immediately took cover behind the front desk.

Several people clad in black combat gear and armed to the teeth sprinted past her and out onto the street. Gunfire could be heard a second later and Cat looked up when a crash sounded from above. Several figures appeared out of nowhere and shot up into the air, leaving human-sized holes in the ceiling.

“Okay, I can do this. This isn’t much different than sneaking into the backstage area of that Stones concert,” Cat mumbled.

She slowly crept around the marble front desk, her eyes sweeping across ceiling so that she almost missed the gaping hole in the ground. She stopped just in time and stared down into the darkened abyss. Those Kryptonians had certainly wrecked havoc on the place but Cat obviously didn’t care about Lord or his company, at least not anymore.

She slipped her phone out of the pocket of her coat and pulled up the floor plan of the building. It seemed as if the basement was the place she needed to be, so she quickly scanned the map and found a staircase at the far end of the foyer. Usually visitors wouldn’t have access to the private levels, but Cat doubted anyone was paying attention to protocol at the moment.

She hurried through the foyer, still glad she had chosen to forego the heels, and slipped through the door that led to the staircase. No alarm sounded and she could easily make her way downstairs until she found another door. This one had a keypad but luckily it was completely destroyed and hanging on its hinges.  

God, if this didn’t win her a Pulitzer she would send a dinner invitation to Lois Lane and sit through an entire meal with her and her toy boy.

The white corridor behind the metal door was irritatingly quiet and Cat found herself growing nervous. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Who knew what Lord had been working down in his secret basement? If he could fabricate something that could subdue Kryptonians with merely a verbal command, anything was possible.

And yet, her worry for Kara and journalistic curiosity won out in the end. Since she didn’t have any floor plans for the basement, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and kept moving forward until, eventually, she spotted the hole again that she’d seen earlier from above. The corridor was damaged in places as if a fight had already taken place.

Cat inhaled quietly and rounded the next corner, finding yet another white hallway but this one was lined with doors on either side. All of them stood open, obviously busted by a great force.

Sneaking a look into most of the adjoining rooms showed that they housed laboratories of some sort filled with high-tech equipment. What unsettled her the most, however, were the rooms with examination tables she would only expect to find in hospitals.

Something wasn’t right with this place. She had to get Kara out of here, even if it was the last thing she did.

Cat continued to creep through the hallways, keenly aware of the fact that she could stumble across Kryptonians, government agents or Lord’s goons at any moment. Only seconds later she heard voices coming from ahead and she quickly moved toward the wall to carefully walk forward and peek around the next corner.

She couldn’t see where the voices were coming from because at the end of yet another identical corridor was a staircase. Unfortunately going up these stairs meant exposing herself to anyone who might be waiting at the top.

Cat sighed and reached up to press a hand against her temple. This was absolutely idiotic, she was well aware. And she was sure Kara would disapprove and say that it was reckless, getting herself into danger like that. But Cat didn’t do scared, never had, never would.

With another deep breath, she headed for the stairs and moved upward, realizing that they spiraled around and took her to an altogether different level. The sight that greeted her at the top was not only surprising but also terrifying.

An office that reminded her of her very own space at CatCo stretched out in front of her, the glass doors allowing her an unobstructed view of what was going on within. She knelt down on the stairs, the cold floor digging into her knees, to see without being seen.

Kara was standing on one end of the room, clad in her Supergirl suit, her hands slightly raised while Lord hovered behind her, dabbing with a white handkerchief at blood gushing from a wound on his forehead.

Alex was facing them, gun raised to eye-level. They seemed to be at a stalemate as Lord was using Kara as a superhuman shield while she seemed frozen to the spot, unable to obey two varying commands at the same time.

Cat could clearly hear Alex’ raised voice. “Kara, you can fight this, I know you can, don’t listen to him, please.”

Kara was slowly shaking her head back and forth as Lord bellowed yet another order. “Take her out, now.”

It looked as if there was no muscle in Kara’s body that was not tensed.  

Cat took a deep breath and rose to her feet again. She reached up and straightened the lapels of her coat before raising her chin and taking several steps forward. Kara was a gentle soul, a genuinely good person, probably better than most humans on earth, certainly better than Cat could ever hope to be, and if there was one thing Cat trusted in, then it was Kara and the fact that she would not harm her. Even under the influence of Red Kryptonite Kara had caught her before her body could hit the pavement.

Cat didn't know where this certainty came from, but somehow she was sure that her life was not in danger. Not from Kara.

And if there was one element to their routine, it was Cat barking out orders and Kara rushing to follow them. After two years as her assistant, Kara knew her better than anyone and perhaps she could make use of this connection. It just had to work.

The three occupants of the office didn’t notice her approach until she opened the door with flourish and several pairs of eyes stared at her with varying degrees of shock.

“I think it’s time we end this little affair because I do have other places to be,” Cat drawled, cursing her heart for beating faster at the look of utter confusion and relief on Kara’s face.

“Cat, what the hell?” Alex hissed but Cat waved her off with a flick of her wrist.

“Kara, please detain Mr. Lord now,” Cat said and Kara immediately began to move only to be stopped by Lord once again.

“You will get rid of both of them, now,” he yelled.

“No, Kara, you listen to me, Lord has no power over you, I am your boss and I’m telling you to finally make him shut up.”

Kara raised both hands toward her head, burying her fingers in her long tresses while she squeezed her eyes shut, mumbling to herself.

“I have to take her out,” Alex whispered, the gun in her hands shaking.

“No, I can get through to her,” Cat replied, “Kara, listen to me, now.”

“Do it now,” Lord called at the same time and their voices overlayed at the last word.

Kara’s pained scream was something Cat knew she would never forget, vowing then and there that she would do everything in her power to shield Kara from this kind of torture. The longer she stared at Kara, who was swaying lightly and still cluchting her head in both hands, the more she became aware of the vibrations in the air. It was as if the blue and red of Kara's outfit began to blur right in front of her eyes.

“It’s okay,” Cat whispered, “it’s going to be okay, you can fight this.”

Lord was still yelling at Kara, but now that she wasn’t actively protecting him anymore, Alex used her chance and basically tackled him into the nearest desk. There was a brief scuffle before she raised her gun high above her head and knocked Lord out with a heavy blow to his temple. He slumped to the ground and Cat exhaled a relieved breath.

She took several steps toward Kara but her progress was halted by a blast of air and a wave of vibrations that went from her toes all the way to the top of her head. She staggered backwards and shielded her face with both hands. Her teeth chattered and it felt like her heart was stopped for several seconds.

Cat looked up just in time to see Kara’s legs giving out and she quickly closed the distance between them to gather the slightly taller and heavier body in her arms. She grunted as she tried to stay on her feet and heard a small _thump_ right beside her.

“Holy shit,” Alex breathed from where she was still kneeling on Lord’s chest and Cat’s eyes widened as she followed her shocked gaze.

Right there on the ground was an unconscious Kara. Cat almost let go of the body in her arms in shock but tightened her grip in the last second, her eyes now fixed on the familiar face so close to her own.

“There’s… there’s two of them,” Cat breathed and for the first time in many years she didn’t know what else to say.

She simply looked from the unconscious Kara on the ground to the unconscious Kara in her arms and back. She stood stock still until blue eyes flew open and Kara sucked in a deep breath as if she’d been underwater for hours.

Cat was barely holding her up as things were but when Kara began to move in her arms she actually wobbled around a little and slowly sank to her knees, groaning at the cold marble digging into her kneecaps, _again_.

Afterwards Kara was cradled in her lap and she looked at Cat with wide eyes.

“M-Miss Grant?”

“I’m here,” Cat replied quietly, trying to make her voice sound steady. She glanced over at Alex who had cuffed Lord and was now approaching the other Kara who was still on the ground, unmoving.

Muscled arms wrapped around her and Cat felt warm breath ghost across her neck as Kara buried her face against her shoulder. Cat only hesitated for a second before she rested her hands on Kara’s back and moved them in a soothing gesture.

"I'm here, it's over, we've got you."


	5. A single kiss for your treasure, there just left at your door

“So what are you saying? Both of them are… Kara?” Cat asked, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“So far all the tests point in that direction, yes,” Alex replied while Hank gave Cat the side-eye.

He obviously wasn’t very happy with her presence, but after Kara – well, one of them anyways – had insisted Cat stay and Alex had agreed, there wasn’t much he could’ve done short of carrying her out of the DEO.

Now they were standing outside of an examination room with large windows and inside two identical Karas were staring at each other. Even though it should’ve been a familiar sight, Cat still felt uneasy because now it seemed like they weren’t dealing with a mirror image of the original.

“How is that even possible?”

“We don’t know yet,” Alex answered with a sigh, “although it has obviously something to do with the modified Red Kryptonite. I have to run more tests. The only thing we have ascertained so far is that Kara, or rather one of them, has blown out her powers.”

Cat shook her head slowly back and forth. She didn’t know the first thing about alien physiology but this was certainly not normal, even for Supergirl.

Alex inhaled deeply and walked into the examination room. Two blonde heads turned simultaneously in her direction and Cat hesitated briefly before she followed. Her gaze traveled from one Kara to the other, noting that one of them had changed back into her civilian clothes while the other was still wearing the Supergirl suit.

“So, what happened? Did Lord create another Bizarro version?” Supergirl asked.

“Hey, I am me, powers or not,” Kara replied while crossing her arms in front of her stomach.

“For now we have to assume that both of you are Kara,” Alex replied. “The tests show no negative developments on a cellular level, I mean other than…” Alex trailed off and waved in the general direction of both Kara and… Kara.

“Apparently Lord didn’t anticipate that the modified Red K would make you susceptible to any and all commands and we have to assume that he created an unstable version with undetermined side effects,” Alex continued, her face darkening into a scowl.

Cat felt a light pressure against her elbow and glanced over to see Hank tilting his head in the direction of the exit. She followed him quietly while everyone in the room was still discussing the authenticity of either Kara.

“Miss Grant, it is probably useless to say it but I still need you to know that you did something incredibly reckless. You inserted yourself into an active investigation and even managed to engage a potentially hostile alien without any protection. You could have been killed.”

Hank didn’t appear angry necessarily, but rather resigned with an undertone of concern.

“You’re right, I am well aware of what I did but I will not apologize for it. I have a responsibility toward my employees,” Hank raised an eyebrow at her and Cat rolled her eyes, “nonetheless, I give you my word that I will try my utmost to stay out of your secret government business in the near future.”

Hank sighed and a small smirk moved the corners of his mouth upward. “Glad to hear it Miss Grant.”

He turned away but glanced back at her with a tilt of his head. “For what it’s worth, you did good out there.”

Cat pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. She didn’t need a pat on the back from anyone, the only thing she had in common with the people at the DEO was one infuriatingly good-hearted person, and if she had the choice she would do things the same way again. She hadn’t brooded over Kara’s journey into her past only to lose her in the present.

Hank walked off and Cat turned to find another agent already waiting for her at the end of the hallway. Well, it seemed like it was time to finally call it a night.

“Miss Grant,” Kara said from somewhere behind her. Cat stopped and took a quick breath before turning around with a scowl on her face. It wasn’t exactly easy to stay indifferent, or annoyed, or anything really, when Kara wasn’t even meeting her eyes. Instead she seemed almost defeated, smaller than Cat had ever seen her.

“I just wanted to thank you, and apologize,” Kara said slowly, “for everything. I never meant… I’m sorry you got dragged into this, you never asked to… I’m also sorry I lied, about my identity, but I just couldn’t let go of CatCo and my place there, it was something I had to myself. I know that things cannot be changed now, but I wanted you to know that I am sorry.”

Kara’s voice had gotten quieter with every word until Cat had trouble hearing her at all. She watched Kara fiddle with her glasses while she curved her body away as if she was about to leave.

Cat had to curl her fingers into fists to stop herself from reaching out. Just the thought of Kara having gone through all of this on her own, being at Lord’s mercy while she had no control of her own body or mind made her nauseous. And yet Kara was apologizing to _her_.

“I’m not…,” Car began but she didn’t know how to voice her thoughts, instead she watched Kara finally raise her eyes and meet her gaze, “your job at CatCo is still yours and it will continue to be yours as long as you want it, or until the promotion.”

Kara’s face began that fascinating transformation where her eyes lit up before a smile hesitantly followed. “Thank you.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure you’re going to be busy here. Take a few days and I’ll see you at the office when you’re back to your regular-super self,” Cat said, unable to hold in the comforting words crawling toward the back of her throat much longer.

She spotted movement behind Kara and saw Supergirl standing at the other end of the corridor, arms crossed in front of her chest and watching them with a neutral expression. It brought her back to the situation at hand and Cat mumbled a quiet goodbye before heading toward the agent who was going to take her home.

S-S-S

Cat had been at the office all day. Carter still wasn’t back from his trip with his father and she was missing his company dearly. After the events of the past few days she longed for some familiarity.

Instead she had buried herself in work, snapped at her employees and studiously ignored the empty desk outside of her office. People were starting to wonder why she hadn’t fired Kara yet, as she was racking up sick days like nobody’s business.

Cat clenched her jaw and slid her glasses off of her face. With a sigh, she rose from her chair and wandered over to the small bar in the corner. She poured herself a drink and raised the glass to her lips. She knew that her coping mechanisms weren’t exactly healthy, but that didn’t mean she could simply escape them.

A shift in the air and a tingling sensation between her shoulder blades made her turn around and she found Supergirl landing softly on her balcony. The sight set off a flurry of emotions and Cat quickly emptied the glass in one gulp before she headed for the balcony.

Kara had her arms crossed in front of her chest, the red cape flapping noisily in the breeze.

“So they did put you back together?” Cat asked, waving her hand in the general direction of Kara’s body.

“Not yet,” Kara replied, her eyes strangely calm and searching, quite different from the woman who’d apologized to her the day before. Perhaps there were some discernible differences between the two versions of Kara after all.

“And now you’re here for a chat?”

Kara seemed unfazed by her attitude and Cat narrowed her eyes.

“No, I came by to say a few things that Kara, the other Kara, might not want you to know, but I believe that this is as good a time as any.”

Cat raised an eyebrow, slowly stepping toward Supergirl. Since she’d started to suspect that Kara might be Supergirl she’d also begun paying attention to the differences. Where Kara was shy and hesitant and sweet, Supergirl pulled her confidence around her like a coat, almost as capable of controlling a situation with her presence as Cat.

“I’m all ears,” Cat replied, keeping her eyes locked on Supergirl.

Supergirl uncrossed her arms and tilted her head slightly. “You shouldn’t tie your forgiveness to CatCo. All Kara wanted was to return your relationship to the way it used to be, but you pushed her away, using Supergirl, using _me_ , as a way to distance yourself.”

Cat furrowed her brow, feeling an uncomfortable sensation crowding her stomach. “You talk about Kara as if she isn’t a part of you.”

“Right now, she isn’t. But that doesn’t mean we don’t share the same feelings or thoughts. And what has unsettled her most, was the idea that she’d ruined whatever she had with you by the things that occurred in the past.”

“Well, I already told her, _you_ , that I’m no longer angry,” Cat answered shifting from one foot to the other. She really wanted another glass of whiskey right now, just to calm the nervous flutter in her stomach.

“Yes, I recall,” Supergirl replied, a small smirk stretching her lips, “but we never did talk about the kiss.”

Cat sputtered quietly and narrowed her eyes at Supergirl. “And we won’t. There is nothing to say. Back then I didn’t know what I was thinking, I couldn’t have known.”

Supergirl hummed quietly, still that amused little smile on her face.

“Alright then. Well, Kara doesn’t have her powers right now, so the DEO is going to boost her immune system and keep an eye on things before she can return to work. She has been adamant about coming back to the office, so I simply wanted to make sure we are on the same page.”

Cat huffed quietly. “We are.”

Supergirl was simply looking out for her other half, it seemed, and perhaps Cat found this confident side of Kara attractive, not that she would ever tell anyone. And yes, it was also time to stop trying to put an artificial distance between them, as much as she didn’t want to admit it.

The mistakes of the past were best left behind. Kara had gotten under her skin long before Cat’s younger self had helplessly been enamored with her and she wasn’t going to ruin their present relationship simply because of inappropriate feelings. She wasn’t a young reporter at the Daily Planet anymore and she could handle this like the professional she now was.

Supergirl was still watching her with a glint in her eye and Cat smiled lightly. “Don’t worry, things will go back to normal, or as normal as they’ll ever be.”

“Glad to hear it, Miss Grant. And thank you, for risking almost everything to save me.”

Cat smirked at the look on Supergirl’s face and shrugged lightly. “No problem. I couldn’t simply let it stand that Lord wanted to separate you from CatCo.” ‘And from me’ remained unspoken between them.

“Of course not, I know where I belong,” Supergirl replied, “but I am still grateful on a personal level.”

Cat frowned at that and nodded. “It must’ve been beyond unpleasant to be controlled like that, by Maxwell Lord of all people.”

Supergirl scrunched her nose and raised her shoulders, looking more like her assistant Kara in that moment. “It was tedious, actually. I know he had plans for me to become National City’s professional full-time protection machine, but while he was finalizing his plans, he kept soliloquizing about his life and why he would be better suited to be in control of power than anyone else.”

That sounded exactly like Lord but Supergirl's nonchalant answer wasn't what Cat had expected. “Well, then I’m glad I managed to rescue you before you were bored to death.”

Supergirl took a few steps toward her and Cat’s breath caught in her throat when a fruity smell surrounded her and soft lips pressed briefly against her cheek.

“My hero,” Supergirl whispered before she was gone with a burst of speed.

Cat stared after the red and blue blur and exhaled shakily.

S-S-S

Alex glanced over her shoulder and watched a slumbering Kara for several moments before she switched the lights off and ambled into the living room. She’d taken Kara home after Supergirl had left to patrol the city and now she was going to wait at Kara’s apartment until she returned.

Alex sighed and walked over to the window, looking up at the nightly sky. At least they had Kara back. Two of them, actually, but they both seemed fine, at least for now. Whatever had happened with them was something they could figure out and fix as long as Kara wasn’t missing or got kidnapped.

The unmistakable sound of someone coming in through the open window and landing softly on the ground made Alex smile.

“Kara’s asleep and doing fine, in case you’re hungry we can order…” Alex trailed off as she turned around and didn’t find Supergirl looking back at her. “…Astra.”

“Agent,” Astra replied, folding her hands behind her back.

Alex glanced over at the bedroom door where Kara was sleeping soundly. She reached up and raked a hand through her hair. “I haven’t synthesized a cure yet, for the modified Red-K but the effect should wear off soon.”

“I didn’t come for the cure,” Astra replied, still standing rather rigidly. Her eyes briefly flickered over to the bedroom door as well. “I’m glad Kara is doing alright, but I did see Supergirl leaving earlier. I would like an explanation.”

“Well, you see, there was somewhat of an unexpected side effect of the modified Red-K,” Alex answered slowly. She owed Astra an explanation, especially after everything that had happened. Non was sitting in a small cell at the DEO and they had managed to arrest a few more Fort Rozz escapees during the stint at Lord Tech.

She tried to explain how Kara had somehow been split in two, apparently one of them with Kryptonian powers and the other without.

Astra’s brow had furrowed and she nodded thoughtfully. “I have never heard of anything similar occurring before, but I do have some resources that might be helpful.”

“Great… that’s just great. Hey listen, I uh, had to tell my boss that I’ve been working with you and he’d like you to come to the DEO, to set up some form of truce. And I need to talk to Kara about this eventually, once we’ve figured out our current situation.”

Whatever reaction Alex may have expected, the little sigh from Astra wasn’t it. “Fine.”

“Fine? Just like that?”

The corner of Astra’s mouth quirked upward and she uncrossed her arms, her shoulders finally relaxing. “You don’t even know, do you?”

“Know what?”

Astra came even closer with slow deliberate steps. What was it about Kryptonians and being physically imposing?

“When the Kryptonite influenced me the first time, at the cat woman’s workplace, you didn’t even think about it for one second. You let me go without hesitation, believing that I would fulfill my end of the agreement. Did it occur to you that you could’ve simply commanded me to turn myself in to your military?”

Alex stared at Astra, opened her mouth and closed it again. It was true, wasn’t it? She had believed that Astra would do anything to save Kara and she really hadn’t wasted a single thought on trying to control Astra with the modified Red-K. Which she probably should have, considering that she worked for an agency that policed alien life on earth.

“Yes, well, we had more important things on our hands, namely getting Kara away from a psychopath without an entire army of Kryptonians falling under said psychopath’s command.”

“Indeed,” Astra replied, “and what about now? You still possess this Kryptonite, there would’ve been no need to ask me to meet with your general, you could simply order me to.”

“Is that really what you think of me?” Alex asked, crossing her arms in front of her body, “That I would simply take away someone’s free will because it suits me? That I’m like _Lord_?”

Astra shook her head slowly back and forth. “Quite the opposite. I believe you are a very unique specimen, Alexandra.”

Alex was startled to her hear name roll off of Astra’s tongue like that. It wasn’t exactly a compliment, to be called a specimen, but it was probably the best she would get. “Thanks, I suppose.”

“I will await the details of how and when you would like me to meet with your people,” Astra said and turned to the window.

“Uh, yeah.” Alex didn’t know what else to say.

Astra shot her a mildly amused look before she vanished into the night, leaving Alex still staring at nothing in particular.

“Alright then,” she mumbled and finally turned around to wander into the living room, determined to completely ignore the soft look in Astra's eyes just then.

Alex was going to stay up and wait for Supergirl to get back. There were still hostile aliens to fight, despite the fact that Kara wasn’t exactly in perfect shape, and they would have to make sure no one noticed anything was amiss when it came down to it.

Not the mention the fact that Kara had been quite literally split into two people, with one of them retaining her powers and the other now a vulnerable human.

This was going to cause her headaches in the future, she just knew it.

S-S-S

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Alex asked for the third time that morning.

Kara smiled good-naturedly and buttoned her cardigan. “I’ve told you, it’ll be fine. I have to go back to work at some point and now is as good a time as any. We know that my immune system is fine and Miss Grant needs me. My help I mean.”

Kara quickly glanced away and Alex turned to the other Kara, the one she’d started calling Supergirl in her head to make things easier, with a scowl. “You agree with me, don’t you? Kara shouldn’t go out there like that, not after what you’ve both been through.”

“Actually, I believe it should be her decision,” Supergirl answered, “this way she can make sure she keeps her job at CatCo and I can work for the DEO without interruption.”

Kara glanced at her other half with a smile, a silent understanding passing between them. Meanwhile Alex grumbled to herself and stomped away to call the DEO and inform them of this development.

“You don’t mind being Supergirl full-time for a while?”

Supergirl smiled and took a few steps forward to fix the collar of Kara's blouse with gentle fingers. “I don’t mind at all. It seems like the most sensible solution right now. And if you’re sure you’re ready for it then we both know Alex couldn’t change your mind.”

Since Kara had lost a part of herself almost a week ago, it had started to seem like she now had two big sisters, with the way Supergirl always had her back, understanding her motivations better than anyone.

“I know you miss her,” Supergirl whispered and Kara felt her cheeks flush.

“I don’t… I don’t know what you mean.”

“You can’t lie to me, remember? We’re the same person. Just don’t be afraid, we’ll get there eventually.”

Kara was about to reply when Alex returned and Supergirl took a step back. “Ready?” she asked and Alex nodded. After a two quick hugs, they departed and left Kara contemplating the brief conversation.

Of course they were the same person, or at least the two matching halves of one, but that didn’t mean Kara couldn’t be on her own as well. It would be different, working at CatCo without her powers, but the time she usually spent fighting aliens would be dedicated to actual work, so maybe she wasn’t in need of her super speed after all. The hot latte however, well, Cat would have to live without it for a while.

Kara grabbed her purse and slipped into her shoes, heading to the door. Her hand froze above the keys in the bowl on the counter. Despite the fact that Lord was locked away in one of the smallest DEO cells, hopefully for good, it was going to take a while to get over the whole thing, knowing that a substance that could control her mind existed out there.

She took a deep breath and closed her fingers around the keys. A small shudder raced down her spine and she silently reminded herself that she was now human, much more prone to injury and in need to be more careful.

Kara stared at the door with determination before she opened it and released a small sigh into the empty hallway. If she wanted to arrive at the office on time with a latte from Noonan’s, she really needed to get a move on.

S-S-S

Cat watched with mild trepidation how Kara pretty much stumbled from her chair to hand her the semi-cold latte after she exited the elevator in the morning. Although she’d known that things would be a bit different for a while, she hadn’t thought that Kara as a human would be so incredibly _clumsy_. Looking back, maybe the fact that she’d cut herself on glass and basically broke her arm the only time she’d been like this before should’ve been a dead giveaway. But throughout the day Cat watched Kara fumble her way through the simplest movements and stub her toe on the corner of her desk, leaving her with an expression on her face like she’d just lost the entire limb.

“Kiera,” she called and Kara hobbled toward her with her tablet clutched to her chest and her lips pressed into a tight line.

“Yes, Miss Grant?”

“I have a few articles I want to go over and then we need to review the layouts,” Cat announced and rose from her chair to walk around the desk. “Sit,” she said and held her breath for a moment, watching how Kara nodded slowly and lowered herself to the couch. Her movements were completely natural and not in the least unsettling like they’d been under the influence of the modified Red-K.

As long as Cat kept Kara rooted to the couch in her office she wouldn’t be able to hurt herself any further. So they spent the afternoon discussing articles and squinting at photos, Kara’s input as invaluable as ever.

Cat eventually glanced up from her perch in the corner of the couch, her heels sitting on the floor in front of her, and found Kara slumped on the other end. Cat bit her lip at the sight. Somewhere between going over the text with a red marker and listening to Cat drone on and on about the incompetence of her co-workers, Kara had dozed off.

Cat glanced at the watch on her wrist and noticed that it was well past seven in the evening. The office beyond her doors had already emptied and although it hadn’t been a slow day, no one had come in to bother her either, all due to Kara’s stellar organizational skills in preparing her work day meticulously every morning.

She found her eyes wandering across Kara’s still form. Her youth was exceptionally visible during sleep and Cat slowly rose to her feet to adjust the pillow underneath Kara’s head to a more comfortable angle.

It seemed like a workday as a human had exhausted Kara and left her none of that spunkiness she usually displayed. But Cat had to admit that Kara had been through a lot these past weeks, so she couldn’t fault her for it.

Cat’s hand crept forward of its own accord and she brushed her fingertips across the furrow above Kara’s brow, watching it smooth out after a mere moment. A small smile stole itself onto her lips and she almost jumped out of her own skin when she heard someone clearing their throat from the direction of her balcony.

She took several steps back and found Supergirl standing just inside her office, arms crossed in front of her body and a decidedly smug smirk on her face.

“I had a feeling I should check in with you tonight,” she offered and Cat scowled briefly while she retreated behind her desk, still barefoot.

Supergirl strode through her office and glanced down at a slumbering Kara with a look of tenderness on her face. Cat watched them for a moment before clearing her throat. “You should probably take her home, she’s had a rather rough day.”

Supergirl nodded and made her way to Kara’s desk to collect her things with practiced ease before returning to the couch and lifting Kara into her arms. Kara stirred briefly and mumbled something unintelligible before she settled comfortably against her doppelganger and returned to sleeping rather soundly.

“Thank you for watching out for her,” Supergirl said with a smile and walked out onto the balcony. Cat followed them slowly, stopping at the sliding doors and curling her fingers around the edge of the glass.

It was a strange sight, watching Supergirl and Kara like that, no doubt, but she was also starting to see what made Kara so incredibly unique, especially now that she had side-by-side comparison of her many qualities. Vulnerability in an indestructible body, kindness in a sharp mind and the greatest heart for people of a foreign planet.

Cat hummed quietly in reply and followed Supergirl’s ascent into the nightly sky with her gaze until she was nothing more than small blur in the distance. She inhaled the crisp cold air and raised her fingertips to her lips, just shy of smearing the lipstick there.

Some things were better left buried in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it folks, the end of this second installment. I was always planning to write three parts, but this one has been quite the struggle, not gonna lie. and as Cat will probably only appear in two or so episodes of the new season (and Kara gets a new male boss...) I will simply have to see ~~if~~ when I'll get around to writing the final installment. thank you again to all those who have supported me and my writing, I cannot mention it often enough.


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